CHANDIGARH – Almost one-and-a-half month after dissident ministers and MLAs in the Punjab Congress started questioning Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on the poll promises, the party high command is working on a formula to mollify the annoyed leaders.
“By delaying the announcement of the CM face at this juncture, the party leadership can tide over the crisis till the tempers are smoothened,” said a senior party leader.
It is learnt that the party leadership has assured the dissidents that their concerns over delay in justice in sacrilege and police firing cases, ending the sand and transport mafia and taking action against the big fish in the SIT report on drugs submitted in the Punjab and Haryana High Court will be addressed in the coming days.
Pointing towards a statement by Congress MP and chairman of the AICC panel Mallikarjun Kharge, who said the party would fight the 2022 state elections under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, a minister said it was a clear hint that the party leadership did not want to declare the name under whose leadership the election would be fought. Otherwise, the Chief Minister was always understood to be the party’s face for the next elections.
Dissident ministers Charanjit Channi, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, besides MLA Pargat Singh, Raja Warring and Sangat Singh Gilzian at their meeting with Rahul Gandhi are learnt to have stressed the concerns that need to be addressed in the run-up to the 2022 elections. Reshuffling in the Cabinet and the caste factor in the PPCC are the issues that are being addressed.
