New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is likely to be present when newly-appointed state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu assumes office on Friday (July 23), ANI quoted sources as saying. Sidhu, who is all set to take charge, had extended the invitation, signed by around 65 MLAs, to Singh for the event on Wednesday. 


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Sidhu has also invited AICC in-charge of Punjab, Harish Rawat for the program. The cricketer-turned-politician, who was named as Punjab Congress chief on July 18, will replace incumbent state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar. 



Punjab CM and Sidhu have been engaged in a bitter rivalry for quite some time now, which is a cause of concern for Congress due to Punjab Assembly elections in 2022. 


Earlier, Amarinder Singh's media advisor Raveen Thukral had refuted reports of the cricketer-turned-politician meeting the Punjab CM. He had empahised that Singh will not meet Sidhu till the latter publicly apologises for his derogatory remarks on social media against the CM. 


"Reports of Navjot Singh Sidhu seeking time to meet Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh are totally false. No time has been sought. No change in the stance. The Chief Minister will not meet Sidhu till he publicly apologises for his personally derogatory social media attacks against him," Thukral had said in a tweet.


Sidhu's supporters had questioned the demand for an apology. "Why should Sidhu apologise (to CM)? It's not a public issue. CM has not solved many issues. In that case, he should also apologise to the public," Congress MLA Pargat Singh said. 


Sidhu’s very public criticism of the Punjab government over the power crisis and the sacrilege issue has miffed Singh, who has demanded an apology from the former, as per reports. 


If Singh attends Sidhu’s program when he will formally take charge as the next Punjab Congress chief, it will definitely ease some of Congress’ worries before the elections next year. 


(With agency inputs)


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