Tag: punjag politics

Chandigarh  : Amid the ongoing crisis in Punjab Congress, state cabinet minister Pargat Singh said everything is fine in the party. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday called on Navjot Singh Sidhu, who resigned as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief. Held at Punjab Bhawan, the meeting was attended by the state cabinet minister Pargat Singh and leaders like Pawan Goyal, Kuljit Nagra and Harish Chaudhary. The meeting lasted for around 3 hours. "Everything is fine," Pargat Singh told media after the meeting. However, all the other leaders refused to comment after the meeting. Meanwhile, the Punjab Congress is likely to form a coordination committee for the better functioning of the state government, said sources. According to sources, the Coordination Committee will comprise Chief Minister Charanjeet Singh Channi, AICC Incharge of Punjab Harish Rawat, senior Congress leader Ambika Soni, state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and a few senior leaders of party's state unit. The Punjab Congress has already sent the proposal to the party's top leadership. An announcement regarding this will be made soon after the nod from the Congress high command. Sidhu had tendered his resignation as Punjab Congress chief on September 28. He was reportedly upset over the bureaucratic setup and his commands not being followed after Cabinet expansion in Punjab. Party sources say that his resignation has not been accepted by the party yet. Sidhu's resignation as state party chief has intensified the crisis in the Punjab Congress. A minister and three Congress leaders, considered close to him, stepped down from their posts.This comes as a big blow to the Congress that was hoping to resolve the turmoil in the Congress unit of Punjab ahead of the Assembly elections early next year. Charanjeet Singh Channi took oath as the 16th Chief Minister of Punjab on September 20, days after Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down from the post of Punjab Chief Minister following months of infighting between him and Navjot Singh Sidhu. Amarinder Singh had resigned as Chief Minister on September 18 and had told the media that the Congress leadership had let him down. He had also taken a dig at Sidhu over his resignation, saying he is not a stable man. Sidhu was made PCC chief by Congress leadership in July to stem infighting in Punjab Congress ahead of next year's assembly polls but the party is now grappling with a fresh crisis.