Speculation spirals over Sidhu as Punjab Congress chief

Chandigarh: Any decision taken by Congress president Sonia Gandhi will be acceptable to all, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Saturday as talk of Navjot Singh Sidhu being appointed chief of the party's state unit despite his oft-stated reservations gathered force.

The cricketer-turned-politician held a series of meetings through the day with Punjab Pradesh Congress president Sunil Jakhar as well as several MLAs, including loyalists of the chief minister, fuelling further speculation about next steps in the dissension-riven Punjab Congress that has long been caught in the Sidhu-Amarinder feud.

Amarinder Singh's statement came after his meeting with AICC general secretary and Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat, who flew down to Chandigarh in what was seen as an effort to placate the chief minister.

The chief minister also said he raised "certain issues" with Rawat during the "fruitful" meeting at his farmhouse in Mohali.

"Had a fruitful meeting with @harishrawatcmuk. Reiterated that any decision of @INCIndia Pres dent will be acceptable to all. Raised certain issues which he said he'll take up with @INCIndia president , @capt_amarinder," according to a tweet by Amarinder Singh's media advisor.

According to sources, Amarinder Singh is learnt to have told Rawat that he will not meet Sidhu till he publicly regrets or apologises for his tweets against him.

The chief minister is learnt to have told Rawat that the manner in which the issue was handled was not acceptable and he still has reservations over Sidhu's appointment but would accept any decision that the leadership takes, the sources said.

Sidhu has been critical of Amarinder Singh after the Punjab and Haryana High Court in April quashed a probe into the 2015 Kotkapura firing case. Sidhu had questioned the alleged "deliberate delay" in ensuring justice and had accused Amarinder of evading responsibility in the 2015 sacrilege case.

Rawat did not give away details of the meeting either.

"One thing is very clear... Captain Amarinder Singh ji who had earlier made a 'mahan' (great) statement that that whatever decision will be taken by the Congress president will be honoured by him reiterated that statement today," Rawat told reporters.

Later, he took to Twitter and said, "I have just returned to Delhi after meeting Amarinder Singh ji. I am happy that many things which are being discussed outside have proved to be completely baseless."

"Captain Sahib has again reiterated his important statement, in which he has said that whatever decision the honorable Congress president takes with regard to the post of Punjab Congress president, it will be acceptable to me and I will respect it. Thank you Captain for your great statement," he also said while sharing his picture with the chief minister.

On Friday, Amarinder Singh wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi. He is learnt to have said that giving the post of state party president to Sidhu, a Jat Sikh, would upset senior leaders representing the Hindu community and harm the Congress' prospects in the 2022 assembly elections.