The demand to 'replace' Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh once again gained momentum on Tuesday, 24 August, as 34 legislators of the Congress, including four Cabinet ministers, decided to inform the party's high command about the widespread dissidence within the Congress.
According to IANS, they stated clearly that it was time for the party to opt for a change of the guard ahead of the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls.
"Changing the CM is the prerogative of the party high command. But we have lost faith in him," Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi told the media in Chandigarh, reported IANS.
Channi said the legislators authorised a five-member committee to meet party interim chief Sonia Gandhi at the earliest over this dissent within the Congress. The panel will seek time from the Congress high command for this purpose.
The five-member committee are Cabinet ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who backed state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in the recent power struggle, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Channi and Pargat Singh, considered close to Sidhu.
Channi reportedly slammed CM Amarinder and his aides over unfulfilled poll promises, particularly the delay in action in the 2015 sacrilege and police firing cases.
However, on Tuesday evening, the Chief Minister's Office issued a statement saying that seven Punjab MLAs have denied being part of such a move to dislodge Captain Amarinder Singh as chief minister. The statement further added that they have disassociated themselves from any such decision and have said that the matter was not even discussed at the meeting, reported news agency ANI.
Calls for Action Against Sidhu's Aides
Meanwhile, a group of Punjab Congress ministers and an MLA on Tuesday called for strong action against Navjot Singh Sidhu's aides Malwinder Mali and Pyare Lal Garg over their recent remarks on Jammu and Kashmir.
Ministers Brahm Mohindra, Vijay Inder Singla, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, along with MLA Raj Kumar Verka also urged the Congress national leadership to direct Sidhu to immediately rein in his aides in the interest of the party as well as the country, reported IANS.
The Congress leaders also questioned Sidhu's failure to put his foot down on such an anti-national and pro-Pak diatribe by his close aides, despite the uproar it has triggered across party lines.
They also said that Sidhu's omission in this regard had given ammunition to the Opposition parties.
(With inputs from ANI and IANS.)
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