Punjab Congress delegation to meet Sonia Gandhi seeking CM Amarinder Singh’s resignation

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New Delhi: A delegation of five Punjab Congress leaders will meet the party’s interim chief Sonia Gandhi seeking the resignation of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

The delegation that leaves for Delhi on Tuesday (August 24) includes four state Cabinet ministers Tript Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Charanjit Channi and MLA Pargat Singh.

They demanded the CM to be replaced. They were categorically clear in saying after the closed door meeting that it was high time for the party to opt for a change of the guard ahead of the polls.

“Changing the CM is the prerogative of the party high command. But we have lost faith in him," Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi told the media in Chandigarh.

He said the legislators unanimously authorised a five-member committee to apprise the party President Sonia Gandhi at the earliest about the dissent of the party workers over non-fulfillment of poll promises by the government.

Channi slammed the Chief Minister and his aides over unfulfilled poll promises, particularly the delay in action in the 2015 sacrilege and police firing cases.

He said the panel would seek time from the Congress high command to listen to grievances of legislators and ministers, otherwise it will be difficult for the party to get a repeat in Punjab.

“My opinion is that the CM should be replaced else Congress will not survive. We are going to Delhi today to meet Sonia Gandhi to speak on this matter,” Punjab minister Tript Bajwa said.

The demand to remove Singh comes just months ahead of the Assembly polls. It also comes at a time CM Singh hit out at party state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu’s advisers for their controversial remarks on Kashmir and Pakistan.