Punjab Congress feud: Amarinder Singh meets party panel in Delhi

On the fifth and the final day of the series of meetings to resolve the infighting within Punjab Congress, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh met the three-member committee today in Delhi to discuss the matter. The AICC panel is likely to submit its final report to Congress President Sonia Gandhi by next week, writes Niyamika Singh.

New Delhi: As the factional feud raged in Congress' unit in Punjab, the series of meetings continued with the high powered panel constituted by Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh who on Friday appeared before a three-member panel tasked by Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the meeting was part of the party's internal discussions ahead of state assembly polls.

The Committee's meeting with CM lasts for almost 3 hours. He reached 15 GRG at 11 am, on Monday, to brief the AICC panel about his stand regarding the criticism, which his Government is facing currently from various quarters led by his own party member, Navjot Singh Sidhu.

However, he refused to speak anything to the media regarding the infighting going on in Punjab Congress, calling it as "party's internal matter".

He said to the media, "After 6 months, there going to be Assembly Elections in our state, so we discussed some of those matters. These are our inner-party discussions, which are not needed to be shared externally."

As per the sources, Congress' former President Rahul Gandhi is taking a personal interest in this matter by stepping in to tame the fire. Earlier, he held some conversations with the party MLAs ahead of their meeting with the AICC panel. Afterwards, he also attended the meeting via video conferencing, on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Captain, who had reached Delhi on Thursday afternoon, also held deliberations with the party MPs and some MLAs later in the day.

Read: Sidhu slams Punjab CM over delay in sacrilege case

According to the sources, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi along with Congress' General Secretary in-charge KC Venugopal also joined the meeting via video conferencing. However, the Committee members denied any such meeting, while addressing the media.

The deliberations were being started on Monday and now the three-member committee will submit its final report to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, in the next few days, for her to take the final call. It is because Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the head of this committee, is going out of Delhi for 2-3 days.

Read:Kotkapura firing case: Sidhu questions delay in ensuring justice

Many of the Congress MLAs have demanded the appointment of a new Pradesh Congress Committee Chief for Punjab. In addition to this, demands for the post of Deputy Chief Minister was also being raised during these meetings.

However, the Committee Members, Harish Rawat and JP Agarwal told the media that discussions were being held to prepare the party's strategy for the upcoming Assembly Elections in 2022.

Both Sidhu and Congress MP Pratap Singh Bajwa are leading an offensive front against the Punjab CM, accusing him of laxity in the probe of the Sacrilege case. Sidhu had even called Capt a "failed Home Minister" regarding this matter.

Read:Punjab CM vents ire over excluding Mohali as IPL venue