New Delhi:Adhering to the call of the party high command, Punjab Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has burnt bridges with the state's Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, on Tuesday met the three-member panel set up by party president Sonia Gandhi.
"I came here to present the people's voices from the grassroot level to the High Command. My stand on democratic power remains the same. The power of the people must return to the people. I have clearly stated the truth," he told reporters after the meeting.
"I will continue to stand by the virtue of democratic power. The taxes that people pay must return to them in some form or the other," he said.
The three-member panel, comprising senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Harish Rawat, and JP Aggarwal held talks with Sidhu in a bid to resolve differences among the two "factions" - one headed by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and the other by Sidhu.
Sidhu arrives at 15, Gurdwara Rakabganj road Also read:As dissent in Punjab Congress brews, Sidhu to meet Congress panel today
The crisis within the Congress' Punjab unit began when Sidhu quit Captain Amarinder's cabinet in 2019 after being divested of local bodies portfolio. He had been hoping for a re-induction for a long time. All along since then, he was seen as being critical of the Punjab chief minister. Recently, the cricketer-turned-politician also criticised Captain Amarinder over the sacrilege case and called him a "failed home minister".
On the other hand, Captain Amarinder challenged Sidhu to contest polls against him from Patiala. The Punjab Chief Minister had also asked Sidhu to clearly spell out whether he is a member of the Congress party or not.
