Navjot Sidhu Touches CM Amarinder Singh's Feet, Takes Charge As Punjab Congress Chief

Earlier, CM Capt Amarinder Singh arrived at Punjab Bhawan shortly after newly appointed Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu arrived there.

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh with Congress state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. (ANI Photo)

Chandigarh: Newly appointed Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu touched Amarinder Singh's feet to greet him at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, sources told ABP News.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh met newly appointed State Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh before the official ceremony. The CM had invited the party's MLAs, MPs and senior functionaries from the state for tea.

Navjot Singh Sidhu in an official ceremony on Friday took over the post of Congress State President. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was also present at the official ceremony in Chandigarh. Addressing the workers, Captain revealed that he has known Sidhu since the latter's childhood. He said, "When Sidhu was born, I was commissioned".

Amarinder Singh stated that Sidhu has known his family since he was born. Captain said, "When I left Army in the year 1970, my mother had advised me to join politics. I have had a relationship with Navjot Singh Sidhu's father since then. This is the background of the family of both of us."

Addressing the gathering, the cricketer-turned-politician said there is no difference between an ordinary worker of the party and its state unit chief.

"There is no difference between an ordinary party worker and the state unit chief. Every Congress worker in Punjab has become the chief of the party's state unit from today," the Amritsar (East) MLA said.

The united front is a welcome development for the party amid the open rift in Punjab Congress wherein Navjot Singh openly criticised the work of CM Amarinder's government. 

Punjab Congress Crisis

The gesture comes after it was reported that Amarinder Singh wanted Sidhu to apologise for his statements. The CM's office had announced that the Captain would not meet Sidhu until he publicly apologised for the personal remarks he had made on the Chief Minister. 

Even before Sidhu was appointed state party chief, the Chief Minister was upset with Sidhu for targeting his government over the power crisis and the sacrilege issue.

At that point, Amarinder Singh is said to have categorically told Congress state in-charge, Harish Rawat, that there would be no rapprochement between the two until Sidhu apologises in public for his "derogatory tweets and interviews".

But sources say party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra spoke to the CM about presenting a united front and hence, the CM opted to calm down about the issue and decided to attend the ceremony appointing Sidhu as Punjab Congress chief.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi had on Sunday appointed Sidhu as the new president of the party's Punjab unit, despite strong opposition from CM Amarinder Singh. She also appointed four working presidents - Sangat Singh Giljian, Sukhwinder Singh Daini, Pawan Goyal, and Kuljit Singh Nagra - to assist Sidhu in the next assembly elections.

(With inputs from agencies)