Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 20 Jul, 2021 11:00 AM
Chandigarh, July 20 (IANS) Toughening his stance, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday clarified that he won't meet new state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu till he publicly apologises to him.
"Reports of @sherryontop seeking time to meet @capt_amarinder are totally false," Chief Minister's media advisor Raveen Thukral said in a tweet.
"No time has been sought whatsoever. No change in stance...CM won't meet #NavjotSinghSidhu till he publicly apologises for his personally derogatory social media attacks against him," he added.
Earlier in the day, state Cabinet minister Brahm Mohindra welcomed the appointment of Sidhu as the new state unit chief but ruled out a personal meeting with him till he resolves his issues with the Chief Minister.
In a statement, Mohindra said the decision to appoint Sidhu had been taken by the high command and is welcome.
"However, I will not meet him (Sidhu) till he meets the Chief Minister and resolves his issues with him," said Mohindra, adding that Amarinder Singh is the leader of the Congress Legislative Party and he is duty bound to follow him.
An adamant Amarinder Singh, who is reportedly upset with Sidhu for targeting his government over the power crisis and the sacrilege issue, had categorically told state party in-charge Harish Rawat on July 17, a day before Sidhu's appointment, that there would be no rapprochement between the two until Sidhu apologises in public for his "derogatory tweets and interviews".
On Masoodi's query on Farooq Abdullah's house arrest, Singh said: "This is not even house arrest. I would rather say Amit Shah is one of those kind-hearted Home Ministers who has put those people under house arrest in their own houses."
After four months, the authorities on Wednesday decided to restore internet facility on the fixed landline connections in Kashmir, top sources told IANS.
Saying the Sikh community was pained and anguished, the Akali Dal on Tuesday described as "very unfortunate" the statement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on not commuting the death sentence of Babbar Khalsa terrorist Balwant Singh Rajoana for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.
The state-wide facility will be available on DIAL 100, 112 and 181 through which a woman caller will be immediately connected to the Police Control Room (PCR), it said.
