Rahul Gandhi congratulates Punjab CM-elect Charanjit Singh Channi for new responsibility

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday congratulated Charanjit Singh Channi on being appointed as the new Chief Minister of Punjab a day after Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down from the post. Taking to Twitter, the former Congress President extended greetings to Channi for the new responsibility. Gandhi called on the Congress government to continue to fulfill the promises made to the people of Punjab, stating that their trust is of paramount importance. 

Rahul Gandhi was one of the leaders who decided to appoint Charanjit Singh Channi as the next CM of Punjab, just months ahead of the assembly elections. Capt Amarinder Singh (79) had resigned from the post, claiming that he was being 'humiliated' by the party leadership. Following the announcement that Channi has been unanimously elected as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader of Punjab, Captain Amarinder took to Twitter to convey best wishes to the CM-elect. 

"My best wishes to Charanjit Singh Channi. I hope he’s able to keep the border state of Punjab safe and protect our people from the growing security threat from across the border," the former CM said. 

A Dalit leader from the Ramdasia Sikh community, Charanjit Singh Channi is the current Minister for Technical Educational and Industrial Training in the Punjab government. He is a three-time MLA from the Chamkaur Sahib Assembly Constituency. Channi has served as the leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly from 2015-16. Channi will take oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab at 11 am on Monday, September 19. 

Charanjit Singh Channi and MeToo case

Notably, the BJP has alleged that Charanjit Channi faced action in a MeToo case for sending inappropriate text messages to a woman IAS officer in 2018. The then Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had said that the issue was later "resolved". However, the case resurfaced in May this year with the Punjab Women's Commission sending a notice to the state government asking to respond to the allegation.

Image: Twitter