Punjab Congress infighting
'Navjot Singh Sidhu's criticisms don't augur well': Amarinder Singh tells Sonia Gandhi
New Delhi/IBNS: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday complained to Congress President Sonia Gandhi that Navjot Singh Sidhu's criticisms of his government "does not augur well for the smooth functioning".
This comes after the Congress had tried to create a truce between the two leaders and made Sidhu the chief of the party's Punjab unit.
According to reports, Sonia Gandhi reportedly stressed that Singh and Navjot Sidhu must work together ahead of the Punjab polls.
She directed that "both the state government and the Congress unit in Punjab must work together and not on cross purposes," Congress's Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat told media after the meeting.
The meeting comes ahead of an anticipated cabinet reshuffle in Punjab and in the middle of strong indications that the feud between the Congress's top two in the state is far from over.
Weeks after Singh's acceptance of Sidhu as the Punjab Congress chief, the cricketer-turned-politician has launched fresh attack on the Chief Minister, jeopardising the truce attempt.
On Monday, Sidhu slammed his party's government over inaction against Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia and others, all of whom were allegedly involved in a 2018 drug trafficking case.
"Punishing the culprits behind the drug trade is the Congress's priority under the 18-Point Agenda. What is the action taken on Majithia? If further delayed, we will bring a resolution in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha for making the reports public," he tweeted.
In February 2018, STF headed by ADGP Harpreet Sidhu filed “status report” in Punjab & Haryana High Court, investigating statements & evidence recorded by ED that were submitted before Hon’ble Court in case of Bikramjit Singh Majithia & others involvement in Drug trafficking. 1/6 pic.twitter.com/ZRNBoiPNCk
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) August 9, 2021
Sidhu also took an indirect dig at the CM over his "apparent inability" to tackle the drug problem without taking any names.
Rawat said Sonia Gandhi took stock of the work done to fulfill promises of the Congress, perhaps a reference to Sidhu's tweet.
Singh and Sidhu have been publicly involved in a feud damaging the Congress position in the state ahead of the Assembly elections next year.
After several failed attempts at negotiations between Camp Sidhu and Camp Amarinder Singh, a three-man peace-making team was nominated by Gandhi, to reach a solution.
Since 2017, a bitter feud had been brewing between Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Sidhu, who, after playing the role of Congress's star campaigner in Punjab elections, hoped to be the deputy chief minister of Punjab but had to be satisfied with a ministership. Later, he resigned from the post when his ministry was downgraded by Singh.
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