Punjab CM Amarinder Singh to meet Sonia today, hopes of ending infighting

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh is likely to meet party president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Tuesday as the party leadership hopes to resolve the internal turmoil in the state unit in the coming days.
The meeting assumes significance as apart from a new role for cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, there is talk of changes in the organisational structure and the council of ministers ahead of the next assembly elections due in early 2022.
Sidhu has already met Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi last week but so far both Amarinder and Sidhu had not been called by Sonia during the present crisis in the Punjab Congress.
A government functionary confirmed that Amarinder was likely to leave for Delhi on Tuesday morning and meet Sonia later in the day.
Earlier, Sonia had appointed a three-member panel that has already submitted its report to her. Harish Rawat, general secretary in charge of Punjab affairs had last week announced that Sonia will take the final call on the report and announce a roadmap for the party in Punjab in the first week of July.
New Punjab Cong chief may be announced
With a section of MLAs criticising the functioning of their party’s government before the panel, Amarinder went into overdrive, holding interactions with a cross-section of state leaders, including MPs, ministers and MLAs, making them repose their faith in his leadership.
A new state president is likely to be announced in the coming days as the present incumbent Sunil Jakhar has already offered to step down. While there have been reports that Sidhu is keen on taking the position, Amarinder has been opposing the idea. The other option for Sidhu would be to head the campaign committee.
Meanwhile, there have been demands that a Hindu face should continue to be the state president and the names of cabinet minister Vijay Inder Singla and MP Manish Tewari are doing the rounds. To counter attempts by rival parties to woo Dalit voters, Congress is also likely to bring a Dalit or OBC face to the fore as part of the changes.