NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday claimed that the Congress party removed Captain Amarinder Singh as Punjab Chief Minister because he was growing "more popular" than the Gandhi family.
Reacting to Capt Amarinder Singh’s exit, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said, "Capt Amarinder Singh is a popular leader. They have removed him because they were apprehensive that he was growing more popular than Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi."
When asked about his party BJP's recent decisions to change the CMs in Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Karnataka, Joshi said, "People who are stuck in such deep mess are questioning us. It's not worth reacting to them."
Capt Amarinder Singh is a popular leader. They've removed him because they were apprehensive that he was growing more popular than Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi. People who're stuck in such deep mess are questioning us. It's not worth reacting to them: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi pic.twitter.com/70fV6s2mBL
— ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2021
The reaction from the Union Minister came a day after Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down from the post of Chief Minister ahead of the meeting of party legislators in the faction-ridden state unit as the party high command decided to effect a change of guard in the border state ahead of Assembly polls early next year.
Captain Amarinder Singh’s exit once again brought to fore the internal feud and factionalism that has gripped the Punjab unit of Congress for several months now.
After announcing his exit, Amarinder declared that he wouldn't quit politics, but would wait and explore his options. The veteran Punjab Congress leader said that he felt “humiliated” by the party top brass and would exercise his options in the future after. Singh said that as an Army man, he had a lot of will and would remain active in the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab. “I am not hanging my boots,” he told reporters. He also rejected claims by the Congress leadership that he had lost the confidence of the MLAs, terming it a lame excuse.
Meanwhile, veteran Punjab Congress leader Ambika Soni has reportedly told the party high command that she is not too keen on becoming the chief minister of the state.
Soni rejected the high command’s offer at a late-night meeting with her senior party colleague Rahul Gandhi, sources added. According to sources, Soni also made it clear to the party top brass that the next Punjab should be 'Sikh', and not doing so will certainly have political "ramifications".
After the refusal, the Congress which wanted Ambika Soni to become the CM after Capt Amarinder Singh resigned, is now considering other names, including Pratap Singh Bajwa, Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa and Ravneet Singh Bittu. Earlier, the party had decided to appoint Sunil Jhakhar as the Chief Minister, but now the party leadership is having second thoughts on his name.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had called a late-night meeting during which party leader Ambika Soni, general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal were present. The meeting ended post-midnight on Sunday.
Sources said the discussion on a new chief minister was held and also strategy to pacify Amarinder Singh was also discussed. Since Ambika Soni hails from Punjab, the party leadership wanted her to become the Chief Minister till elections are held. The party reportedly wants to project a non-Sikh face ahead of the polls to counter the AAP which is gaining ground in the state.
Meanwhile, the Congress party legislators are set to meet the three political observers for Punjab this evening to pick the new chief minister for Punjab after Capt Amarinder Singh’s resignation from the post. After holding a meeting with the Punjab Congress MLAs, the three observers will report back to the party high command for a decision on who would be the next Chief Minister.
A section of Punjab Congress leaders, including the supporters of Capt Amarinder Singh, is reportedly upset with his unceremonious exit and the bad handling of the matter by the Congress high command. Singh tendered his resignation months ahead of the crucial assembly elections in Punjab.
Capt Amarinder Singh has clearly ruled out accepting Navjot Singh Sidhu as his successor and said that he will not quit politics and explore all options. "Navjot Singh Sidhu is an incompetent man. He was a total disaster in my government. He couldn't run one ministry I gave him. He did not clear files for seven months," the former Chief Minister had said.
