Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh hands over resignation to Punjab Guv; son confirms news

Minutes after Republic Media Network broke the news about Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh's possible resignation on Saturday, his son Raninder Singh took to Twitter, confirming the same. Amid the ongoing crisis in the Punjab Congress, Captain Amarinder stepped down as the Chief Minister, putting an end to the 'humiliation' faced by him. 

Captain's son, in a tweet, said he was proud to accompany his father to Raj Bhawan as he submits his resignation as CM of Punjab and leads his family into a 'new beginning'. 

Raninder Singh may have hinted at Captain Amarinder's future plans after quitting as the Punjab CM.

The Chief Minister's Media Advisor, Raveen Thukral has also confirmed that Captain met Punjab Governor and submitted his and his council of ministers’ resignation. Amarinder Singh is addressing the media at the Raj Bhavan gate while this article is being written.

Earlier today, Captain Amarinder called for a meeting with his loyalists at his residence, after which, he left for the Punjab governor's house and tendered his resignation at 4:30. The development comes an hour before the crucial Congress Legislature Party meeting scheduled at 5 pm. The Chief Minister will not be attending the meeting either.  

It is being said that the CM had dialled Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and veteran Kamal Nath saying that he was 'a true Congressman at heart' and would do nothing to hurt the party's chances in the Punjab Assembly Elections 2022. He had told Gandhi that he had accepted all the political changes that happened till now on her word, but now would no longer be able to take such 'humiliation'. 

This comes amidst the constant back-and-forth between Singh and PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. Several MLAs - specifically Sidhu's supporters - have repeatedly attacked the CM, claiming that he was unfit to rule the state. 

Face-off between Amarinder Singh & Sidhu

The tiff between Navjot Singh Sidhu and Captain Amarinder Singh escalated earlier this year after the two fired salvos at each other in public and on social media. This led to an open request by the cricketer-turned-politician for an intervention of the Congress High Command. To end factionalism in the party's Punjab unit, Congress president Sonia Gandhi formed a committee comprising Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge, ex-Delhi MP JP Agarwal, and AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab Harish Rawat on May 28. Since then, the panel met multiple stakeholders including MLAs, ministers and the CM to ascertain their views ahead of the 2022 Assembly Elections. Ignoring Singh's protests, Gandhi appointed Sidhu as the Punjab Congress President on July 18. Despite his appointment, the Congress failed to calm waters in the Punjab Congress, as Sidhu continued attacks against the Captain-led Congress government in the state.