Navjot Sidhu Likely To Remain Punjab Congress Chief, Party To Setup Panel To End Deadlock

The coordination panel may comprise the CM, Navjot Singh Sidhu, and a representative of the AICC.

Navjot Singh Siddhu likely to remain Punjab PCC chief

New Delhi: After much deliberations to convince miffed Navjot Singh Sidhu who resigned from his PCC post on Tuesday, the Congress seems to have found a way out to restore peace within the party. According to a report by PTI, Sidhu will continue to remain the Punjab Congress chief and a coordination panel is likely to be set up, which is expected to be consulted before any major decisions by the Punjab government in future.

The decision comes after Punjab Chief Minister Charanjeet Singh Channi met Navjot Sidhu on Thursday afternoon and had a two-hour long discussion to iron out the differences.

According to the report, the panel may comprise the CM, Navjot Singh Sidhu, and a representative of the AICC.

The All-India Congress Committee (AICC) is expected to make an announcement in this regard in a press conference today. 

However, it is still unclear how differences over the appointment of the DGP and the AG will be dealt with.

 Sidhu on Wednesday had raised a question over the appointments of the DGP, state's advocate general, and "tainted" leaders.

Besides Channi and Sidhu, the meeting was attended by senior Congress leader and central observer Harish Chaudhary, minister Pargat Singh and Punjab Congress working president Kuljit Nagra, the report mentioned.
There was no press briefing after the meeting between Sidhu and Channi.

Just before his meeting with Channi, Sidhu attacked the state's new DGP, alleging that he wrongly indicted two Sikh youths in a desecration case and gave a clean chit to the Badals.

The desecration of a religious text allegedly took place in Punjab's Faridkot district in 2015, whose investigation was handed over by the then Parkash Singh Badal-led government to an SIT led by current DGP Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota.

Sahota was given the additional charge of the state's DGP by the Charanjit Singh Channi-led government.

Thursday’s meeting was held after Sidhu abruptly resigned as the Congress Punjab unit chief on September 28, thrusting the party into a fresh crisis. The party was already battling the bitter tussle between Sidhu and former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

Charanjeet Singh Channi took oath as the 16th chief minister of Punjab on September 20, days after Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down from the top job in the state following months of infighting between him and Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Meanwhile, in a huge setback to the Congress amid the turmoil, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has declared that he will "leave the Congress", saying he cannot continue "when there is no trust".

He is not ready to be "treated in this manner", Amarinder Singh said to ANI. He also denied reports of him joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as speculations were rife after he met Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday.

Office of Capt Amarinder Singh informed ANI that former Punjab CM has made it clear that "he isn't joining the BJP but had no intention of continuing in Congress.

"Congress going downhill with senior leaders completely ignored and not given a voice," his Office added.