Amarinder to meet Governor, may submit resignation
Chandigarh, September 18, 2021
Ahead of the crucial Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting on Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is slated to meet the Governor and may submit his resignation to him.
"He is meeting the Governor at 4.30 pm," the Chief Minister's Media Advisor Raveen Thukral informed in a tweet.
The Chief Minister is expected to address the media outside the Governor's house.
Earlier in the day, the party's high command is said to have conveyed to the Chief Minister that he should resign to enable the election of a new leader.
However, the Chief Minister is understood to have "threatened" to quit the party for being humiliated.
"Amarinder Singh spoke to interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the morning and told her that he is being humiliated and he will resign from the party," a close confidant of the Chief Minister told IANS.
According to some senior party leaders, the high command has categorically asked Amarinder Singh to step down.
The minute-by-minute changing political developments began close to midnight on Friday when Congress' Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat tweeted about the decision to hold an urgent CLP meeting on Saturday.
About 10 minutes later, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu directed all the MLAs to be present at the CLP meeting.
The announcement by Rawat is being seen as an indication from the high command to appoint a new leader under whom the party will go to the Assembly polls, slated in March 2022.
Responding to the political developments, former state Congress President Sunil Jakhar tweeted: "Kudos to Sh Rahul Gandhi for adopting Alexandrian solution to this Punjabi version of Gordian knot.
"Surprisingly, this bold leadership decision to resolve Punjab Congress imbroglio has not only enthralled Congress workers but has sent shudders down the spines of Akalis."
The decision to call the CLP comes in the wake of a fresh letter signed by a majority of legislators, who expressed their dissatisfaction with Amarinder Singh and demanded his removal from the Chief Minister's post.
Meanwhile, the Congress deputed party general secretary Ajay Maken and Harish Chowdhry to Chandigarh as central observers for the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting slated later on Saturday. Rawat is also reaching here.
IANS
