Anil Vij slams Congress for nominating Charanjit Singh Channi as Punjab's new CM

Following the nomination of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij took a dig at him on Monday. State Home Minister Vij took to Twitter to express his dissatisfaction with the situation. He wrote, "Whoever is being appointed as Punjab's CM is Congress party's internal matter but the person who takes all his decisions by a coin toss, is absolutely not worth it". 

On Monday, Charanjit Singh Channi was sworn in as Punjab's Chief Minister. Vij had previously drawn analogies between the Punjab Congress and a sinking ship, describing it as "unstable," and claiming that 'internal divisions' inside the party are to blame for the political development. Captain Amarinder Singh resigned as Chief Minister of Punjab on Saturday, citing the Congress leadership's repeated humiliation over the previous two months as the reason for him doing so. 

Anil Vij, Haryana Home Minister takes a dig at Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi

Appointment of Charanjit Singh Channi as the Chief Minister of Punjab

Congress' choice Charanjit Singh Channi was sworn in as the 16th Chief Minister of Punjab on Monday at Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh in the presence of Governor Banwarilal Purohit. Channi, Punjab's first Dalit Chief Minister, is a three-time MLA, a Dalit leader from the Ramdasia Sikh group, and Navjot Singh Sidhu's close assistant. Two Deputy Chief Ministers, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who is a Jat Sikh and Brahm Mohindra, who is a Hindu, also took the oath. At the ceremony, top Congress leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Navjot Singh Sidhu, and Harish Rawat were present, however outgoing Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was not.

The Congress legislative party conference on Saturday passed two resolutions praising Singh's achievements as CM and empowered Sonia Gandhi to choose the next CM in the absence of consensus. Ambika Soni and Sunil Jhakar were the frontrunners for the role before Channi's appointment, as the Congress considered choosing a Hindu chief minister. Following Soni's reluctance, Congress considered nominating a Sikh as CM and settled on Channi.

Resignation of Capt Amarinder Singh

Capt Amarinder Singh and his council of ministers resigned from their posts as Punjab chief minister after being blindsided by a CLP meeting scheduled without his knowledge. He said he felt humiliated when he informed Sonia Gandhi of his decision to resign from his post. Singh had described Sidhu as an incompetent, anti-national, and pro-Pak politician. Singh has also stated that if Sidhu is chosen as the next CM, he will oppose it. He promised to stay in politics. Singh and Sidhu have been at odds since 2019. 

With inputs from ANI

(IMAGE: PTI / Facebook - MLACHANNI)