Punjab Congress MPs meet in Delhi to discuss political situation

By PTI
NEW DELHI: Amid intra-party squabbling in Punjab, nine out of 11 Congress MPs from the state met at the residence of Partap Singh Bajwa here on Sunday and are learnt to have discussed the current political situation.

The meeting came amid indications that Navjot Singh Sidhu who has been having a running battle with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh could be made the party’s state unit chief.

The MPs, however, said the meeting was convened to discuss the issues to be raised in the Monsoon Session of Parliament starting Monday.

Party president Sonia Gandhi is also holding a meeting of party MPs in the evening.

There have been a series of meetings in Chandigarh and elsewhere in Punjab, held by Singh and Sidhu separately, to work out last minute strategies ahead of the party revamp.

Singh has set some conditions before the party leadership for Sidhu’s elevation as the state unit chief, which include Sidhu tendering a public apology for the attacks made against him.

“Any decision taken by the party president Sonia Gandhi will be acceptable to all,” Bajwa told reporters when asked about the appointment of a new Pradesh Congress Committee chief.

He said the meeting was convened in view of the upcoming Parliament session and to discuss the issues to be raised.

Bajwa said there was no factionalism in the Punjab Congress and the leadership has said that the elections would be fought under the leadership of the chief minister.

He said whoever the new PCC chief is, he will complement the chief minister to ensure the victory of the Congress party in the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab.

Bajwa has also thrown his hat in the ring, and he has held a series of meetings.

These include one with the chief minister last evening, and some in the party are saying that if a Jat Sikh is to be made the PCC chief, then why not Bajwa, who has been a former president of Punjab Congress.

Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari tweeted a picture of the party MPs during the meeting and said Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members from Punjab met to discuss the situation and issues of Punjab.

The party MPs present at the meeting at Bajwa’s residence were Preneet Kaur, Shamsher Singh Dullo, Ravneet singh Bittu, Gurjit Singh Aujla, Jasbir Singh Gill, Chaudhary Santokh singh and Mohammed Sadique, besides Tewari and Bajwa.