With mere months left before the Punjab Assembly polls, the Congress-led state government appears to be going through quite the upheaval. A day after the Chief Minister was learnt to have written a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressing reservation over Navjot Singh Sidhu's possible appointment as the state party chief, AICC general secretary and in-charge of Punjab has now arrived in Chandigarh to meet to meet him. Sidhu in the meantime is attending meetings of his own.
Visuals shared by news agency ANI on Saturday afternoon show Rawat arriving at Singh's Mohali residence. According to reports, he was flown to Chandigarh in a state government chopper to meet the Chief Minister as rebellion continues to simmer within the ranks of the Punjab Congress.
Sidhu, a former BJP MP, had joined the Congress ahead of the 2017 assembly polls. Ahead of the 2022 polls, there are reports indicating that he might assume the role of Punjab Congress chief. There is also talk of appointing two working presidents -- a Dalit and a Hindu face to balance the caste equations.
Rawat's visit is being seen as an effort to placate Amarinder who is opposed to making Sidhu the party's state unit chief. The latter has been at loggerheads with the Chief Minister for quite some time now, and had attacked him over alleged delay in justice in the 2015 sacrilege and subsequent police firing incidents.
As the internal feud in the state unit of the Congress continues, Sidhu on Friday met party president Gandhi in Delhi. Harish Rawat and Rahul Gandhi were also present at this meeting. And on Saturday, even as Rawat made his way to Amarinder Singh, Sidhu met with Punjab Congress Chief Sunil Jakhar at his residence.
(With inputs from agencies)
