Amarinder meets Sonia, says will accept any decision
Darpan News Desk IANS, 06 Jul, 2021 01:58 PM
New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday met interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi amid escalated tension in the state unit.
After the meeting which lasted an hour, Amarinder Singh said: "Whatever we discuss in such meeting with the Congress President is confidential. We can't say it in public and it is not for public consumption."
"But we have discussed about the developmental issues of the state, including politics... I will accept whatever decisions will be taken by the party high command."
He, however, declined to comment on disgruntled Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Ahead of the Sonia Gandhi-Amarinder Singh meet, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi had met Sonia Gandhi.
The Congress has constituted a committee under Malliakarjun Kharge to resolve the issue pertaining to the state and it had submitted its report.
Kharge was also present at the meeting, which comes against the backdrop of the suggestions made by the Congress high command to the Punjab government and changes in the state unit of the party, days after Sidhu met Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
After these meetings, there was speculation that Priyanka Gandhi has suggested Sidhu's name as the Punjab Congress chief. However, Amarinder Singh and some of the other faction leaders in the party were not accepting this formula.
Sources said that Punjab leaders may accept Sidhu as the Working President, but not as the full-fledged state unit chief as the Chief Minister is keen on having a non-Sikh face in the role.
This comes within hours of Congress President Rahul Gandhi terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "weak" and "scared" of Chinese President Xi Jinping after Beijing blocked a UN resolution to designate JeM chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist.
Pankaj Kumar Chaudhary said he has moved the Central Administrative Tribunal challenging the state government's order dismissing him. The CAT has issued notices to the state and the Centre in the matter.
Both the men had an argument following which the accused allegedly beat up his brother-in-law and hit his head on a cement block, causing injuries to him, police said.
AAP’s Patiala (rural) unit president was shot at by unidentified assailants in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district on Thursday while he was trying to prevent them from kidnapping a girl, police said.
Three more persons, including Telugu film comedian Surya Prasad, were arrested on Thursday in the murder case of Florida-based NRI businessman Chigurupati Jayaram, police said.
