Punjab Congress crisis: Pargat Singh questions Harish Rawat for backing Captain Amarinder Singh

New Delhi: Punjab Congress row has taken a new twist as the state unit's general secretary Pargat Singh has questioned AICC state in-charge Harish Rawat and asked who gave him the right to take a big decision about the state.

Pargat Singh, who is believed to be close to Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, told ANI, "When all the MLAs had met the three-member Kharge Committee constituted by the party high command in Delhi three months ago, it was decided that the Punjab Assembly elections to be held in 2022 would be fought under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi."

"Now, if Harish Rawat is saying that the 2022 Punjab elections will be fought under the leadership of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, then he should also tell when this decision was taken," he asked. 

"Congress state in-charge Harish Rawat is my good friend but who gave him the right to take such a big decision about Punjab at his level? What is the meaning of Captain`s leadership now after the Kharge committee`s decision to contest elections under Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi?" the Congress MLA further said in Jalandhar on Sunday. 

Pargat Singh`s statement comes at a time when Harish Rawat is scheduled to visit Punjab soon and meet Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. Rawat reportedly met the party high command to discuss the turmoil in Punjab Congress.

Last week, Harish Rawat had said that the party will contest the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections under the leadership of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

The newly appointed Punjab unit president, Navjot Singh Sidhu, meanwhile, asked the party to allow him the freedom to take decisions or he will give a devastating reply. Sidhu said he didn't want to remain just a 'show horse'.

On August 26, Sidhu made this remark during a meeting with industrialists and traders in Amritsar, amid the ongoing turf war in the party`s state unit ahead of next year's Assembly polls.

Sidhu said he will ensure that the Congress remains in power in Punjab for the next 20 years, adding "But if you don't let me take the decisions, I will also ensure total devastation," using the term "itt naal itt bhi khadkavunga". He further said that there was no point in being just a show horse ("darshani ghoda").

Earlier, Sidhu's adviser Malvinder Singh Mali submitted his resignation on Friday after his controversial remarks on the Kashmir issue.

Notably, the cricketer-turned-politician was picked a few weeks back as the Punjab Congress chief, ignoring opposition from Amarinder Singh. Harish Rawat, who is Punjab affairs in-charge at the All India Congress Committee (AICC), downplayed Sidhu's remarks.

In Delhi, Rawat said that said the state presidents are free to take decisions within the party's constitution and in accordance with its position. 

"I will see the context in which Navjot Singh Sidhu made these remarks. Mr Sidhu is the respected chief of the Punjab unit. Who else has the power to take decisions if not the state presidents?" Rawat tol reporters when asked to comment.

Earlier on Thursday, Rawat had stated that he wanted to give up his responsibility as the in-charge of the party's affairs in Punjab to concentrate on his native state. He also added the next elections will be fought under Amarinder Singh's leadership, delivering a snub to the Sidhu camp.

Sidhu asserted that he has never made compromises on his principles for cheap personal benefits, adding he even refused a ministerial post at the Centre when he was asked to contest from Kurukshetra. "I will die while serving the people of Amritsar," he said, adding that industrialists, rather than bureaucrats, would draft Punjab's industrial policies.

Notably, Navjot Singh Sidhu had left the BJP to join the Congress before the 2017 assembly polls. He contested from Amritsar East in the Assembly elections, and won by a margin of 42,809 votes.

(With Agency Inputs)

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