Punjab: Hoardings of Amarinder Singh spotted across State backing Captain's leadership

Before the congress panel concluded the report on the Punjab internal tussle, hoardings backing state Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s leadership were spotted in different parts of Punjab, including Amritsar, which is the home turf of Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu. Hoardings indicated Captain Amrinder Singh to lead for the 2022 state assembly elections.

This came after a section of Congress ministers, including Sidhu have been questioning the Punjab CM’s performance, prompting the party high command to intervene. The hoardings were put up by the Congress student wing reportedly backed by Amritsar mayor and Captain loyalist Karamjit Singh Rintu.  It was first witnessed at different sites by Youth Congress Leaders. 

Sidhu VS Punjab CM

After winning the Amritsar East seat on a Congress ticket in the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls by a margin of 42,809 votes, Sidhu was inducted into the Cabinet. However, a series of events led to the ex-swashbuckling batsman tendering his resignation from the Cabinet in July 2019. These include the Punjab CM openly slamming Sidhu for his 2018 visit to Pakistan where he hugged Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, losing key portfolios, and denial of ticket to Navjot Kaur Sidhu in the 2019 General Election.

On Friday, CM Amarinder Singh met with the 3-member panel in Delhi and held a virtual meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. After the meeting, the CM refused to divulge details of the meeting, but said, "We all are getting ready to face state polls". Meanwhile, Sidhu who had earlier met with the same panel said, "I came here to convey the voice of the people from the grassroots in Punjab. My stance has been, is, and will remain that the democratic power which goes to the government and financial power which goes to the government in the form of taxes should go back to the people. Truth can be suppressed but not defeated."