Pargat Singh slams Harish Rawat for backing Amarinder Singh, asks 'who gave him the right'

Amid the ongoing tussle in the state unit, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Pargat Singh on Sunday slammed AICC state in-charge, Harish Rawat, for his decision. Singh questioned Rawat for favouring Captain Amarinder Singh and asked who granted him the right to take a big decision about Punjab. The Congress MLA claimed that the party members were unaware of the development and thus demanded AICC in charge give an explanation regarding the same.

Singh, who is believed to be a close ally to Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu slammed the decision taken by Harish Rawat regarding the upcoming election. Questioning the decision taken in favour of the Punjab CM, the Congress MLA said, "When all the MLAs had met the three-member Kharge Committee constituted by the party high command in Delhi three months ago, it was decided that the Punjab Assembly elections to be held in 2022 would be fought under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Now, if Harish Rawat is saying that the 2022 Punjab elections will be fought under the leadership of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, then he should also tell when this decision was taken."

"Congress state in-charge Harish Rawat is my good friend but who gave him the right to take such a big decision about Punjab at his level? What is the meaning of Captain's leadership now after the Kharge committee's decision to contest elections under Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi?" Pargat Singh added. Rawat had earlier said that the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections will be contested by Congress under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh. The decision came after a series of deliberations amid the turf war between the CM and Navjot Sidhu.

Rawat briefs high command about Punjab situation

Meanwhile, Harish Rawat on Saturday met party leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi and briefed him about the situation of infighting within the Punjab Congress. Amid the ongoing tussle between the two factions, Rawat was caught in the mix after he was accused of favouring the CM over the state party president. Following the brief meeting with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Rawat told the media that he briefed the leadership about the political situation in the state. He also said that he would meet with the two fighting leaders again soon.

Navjot Singh Sidhu's attack on Punjab government

On Friday, Navjot Sidhu slammed the party and said that he will not spare anyone if he is not allowed to take decisions. He was speaking at an event in Amritsar when he threatened the leadership. "I have told the high command that if you do not let me take decisions, I will not spare anyone (ent se ent baja dunga)... I do not want to be a showhorse. Decisions are required to be taken. No state can develop without industry. International trade should start. The people of Punjab are in despair. If I had to put my life on the line, I would not back down," Sidhu said.

IMAGE: ANI/ PTI