The All India Congress Committee general secretary and Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat Saturday said that chief minister Amarinder Singh was informed about Navjot Singh Sidhu's appointment as next head of party's state unit, News18 reported.
The report also quoted Congress sources as saying that the Captain has refused to meet Sidhu until he apologises for his "derogatory tweets and interviews".
According to sources, the official announcement of Sidhu's appointment is expected to be made on Saturday through a press release.
Rawat also informed Singh that three to four working presidents of the chief minister's choice would also be appointed along with Sidhu, sources said.
Meanwhile, Rawat, after meeting Singh on Saturday, said that the chief minister has assured him that he will honour any decision taken by the party president.
"I have just returned to Delhi after meeting Amarinder Singh Ji. I am glad that a lot of the things that are being discussed have been proven pointless and Captain Sahib has reiterated his important statement, that any decision taken by the Congress president will be acceptable to all," the AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab said.
मैं, @capt_amarinder जी से मिलकर अभी-अभी दिल्ली लौटा हूंँ। मुझे प्रसन्नता है कि बहुत सारी बातें जो बाहर चर्चा में हैं, वो बिल्कुल निर्मूल साबित हुई हैं और कैप्टन साहब ने फिर से अपने उस महत्वपूर्ण बयान को दोहराया है,
1/2 pic.twitter.com/bBSvCCbfV2— Harish Rawat (@harishrawatcmuk) July 17, 2021
Amarinder says any decision by Congress chief will be acceptable to all
In the backdrop of simmering tensions in the Punjab Congress unit, Singh on Saturday stated that any decision taken by the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will be "acceptable" to all.
Singh made the statement amid speculation over likely elevation of disgruntled former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu as the state Congress chief.
Rawat flew down to Chandigarh as tensions escalate in the Congress' Punjab unit over differences between Singh and Sidhu.
.”Had a fruitful meeting with @harishrawatcmuk. Reiterated that any decision of @INCIndia Presìdent will be acceptable to all. Raised certain issues which he said he’ll take up with @INCIndia president”, @capt_amarinder pic.twitter.com/UGOrSbJbeR
— Raveen Thukral (@RT_MediaAdvPBCM) July 17, 2021
The chief minister was later quoted by his media adviser Raveen Thukral as saying that he had a fruitful meeting with Rawat.
"'Had a fruitful meeting with @harishrawatcmuk. Reiterated that any decision of @INCIndia Presdent will be acceptable to all. Raised certain issues which he said he'll take up with @INCIndia president,' @capt_amarinder, (sic)" the official tweeted.
Rawat reached Chandigarh in a chopper around 12 noon and went straight to the chief minister's farm house in Mohali.
Sidhu meets Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sunil Jakhar
Earlier in the morning, Sidhu met Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sunil Jakhar. The cricketer-turned-politician left his residence in Patiala and reached Jakhar's residence in Panchkula about 65 km away around 10.45 am, an aide said.
After the meeting, which lasted more than half-an-hour, Sidhu said Jakhar is his elder brother and a guiding force. Jakhar, in turn, described Sidhu as a capable man.
Sidhu had met Gandhi at her residence in New Delhi on Friday in an apparent bid to arrive at a truce formula over the state unit revamp.
After meeting Jakhar, Sidhu met other party leaders, including some ministers, in Chandigarh. He reached out to Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and senior party leader Lal Singh, who are considered close to chief minister.
Punjab CM expressed reservations over likely elevation of Navjot Sidhu as PPCC president
The visit is being seen as an effort to placate Singh, who wrote a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday. He reportedly said that giving the post of state party chief to Sidhu, a Jat Sikh, would upset the party's senior leaders representing the Hindu community and harm the party's prospects in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Sidhu, a former BJP MP, had joined the Congress ahead of the 2017 state election. There are reports that he is likely to be made Punjab Congress chief. However, Singh has expressed his displeasure over Sidhu being given a key post, said the sources.
There is also talk of appointing two working presidents - a Dalit and a Hindu face to balance the caste equations.
The names of minister Vijay Inder Singla and MP Santokh Chaudhary were doing the rounds for the post of working presidents.
The chief minister is a Jat Sikh. Currently, Sunil Jakhar is the PPCC president.
Amid continued internal feud in the state unit of the Congress, Sidhu on Friday met party president Gandhi in Delhi.
Congress leader and chairman of Punjab Large Industrial Development Board Pawan Dewan urged the party to have a representation of the Hindu community on key posts in the state unit.
"Punjab Congress president - Jat Sikh (if Sidhu is made state Congress chief). CM - Jat Sikh. Punjab Youth Congress President - Jat Sikh Campaign Committee Chairman- Jat Sikh, Hindu kaha hai (where is the representation of the Hindu community)?" he tweeted.
Sidhu has been at loggerheads with Singh and he had attacked the chief minister over the alleged delay in justice in the 2015 sacrilege and subsequent police firing incidents.
With inputs from PTI
July 17, 2021 at 06:18PM
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