A day after recently appointed Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu said that if he was not given the freedom to take decisions for the party, he would smash the Congress in the State, the AICC State in-charge Harish Rawat met former party president Rahul Gandhi.
Mr. Rawat had a similar meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday.
State visit
“I have briefed him on whatever the situation in Punjab is,” Mr. Rawat told reporters after his meeting. He said that by next week he would visit Punjab where he will meet both Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Mr. Sidhu.
Mr. Singh and Mr. Sidhu have been at loggerheads for several months now. In the last few days the situation has further worsened with dissident MLAs meeting Mr. Sidhu, seeking Mr. Singh’s ouster.
Punjab is scheduled to hold Assembly polls in a few months. Mr Rawat also summoned these MLAs to Dehradun where he heard them out though he has already clarified that the election will be fought under Captain Amarinder Singh’s leadership.
Uttarakhand concerns
Meanwhile, Mr. Rawat has also sought to be relieved of his party position in charge of Punjab since his own State, Uttarakhand, is also going for polls around the same time. Mr. Rawat himself is in a power struggle with Uttarakhand Congress Legislative Party leader Pritam Singh. But so far, the party has not considered his request.
“In the Congress, whatever the party leadership decides, that is the final decision. I will continue working as long as they ask me to,” Mr. Rawat told reporters.
