Sidhu by his side, Channi says Punjab Cabinet has accepted AG’s resignation

Last week, when Sidhu withdrew his resignation as Punjab Congress chief, he, at a press conference, had asserted that he would resume charge only after the state government replaced DGP I P S Sahota and Advocate General A P S Deol.

“This soldier of Congress president (Sonia Gandhi), Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi withdraws his resignation. But I categorically state that the day we will get a new AG and DGP, I will assume charge,” he had told the media, declaring, “When you are on the path of truth, posts do not matter.”

Deol had resigned from the post on November 1. The government had confirmed receiving the AG’s resignation, but said that the matter would be decided at the Cabinet meeting. The AG has cited personal reasons for not being able to continue in his office. However, the resignation was put on hold by the CM after Sidhu’s diatribe against him in function.

Following Sidhu’s press conference last Friday, where he questioned his party’s government in the state over the status of the investigation into the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident and also raised the issue of appointment of A P S Deol and Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota as the state’s advocate general and officiating director general of police (DGP), respectively, AICC Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary on Monday held a meeting with CM Charanjit Singh Channi and Sidhu.

Talking to reporters, cabinet minister Raj Kumar Verka has said that Channi and Sidhu held a meeting and “whatever misunderstandings will soon be removed”.

Asked how differences between both leaders will end, Verka said Chaudhary had discussed issues with Channi and Sidhu separately and jointly, news agency PTI reported.

On November 2, Sidhu, Channi and Chaudhary had gone to Uttarakhand to offer prayers at the Himalaya shrine of Kedarnath.
The same day, they along with other senior leaders had held a meeting to discuss strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections.

At that time, Sidhu had said that “all is well”.

Sidhu had resigned on September 28, seeking the removal of AG Deol and DGP Sahota. According to Sidhu, the AG and the DGP had to be changed as it was their responsibility to take the investigations into the Bargari sacrilege and drugs cases to a logical conclusion.

Deol was the counsel for former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, the police chief during the incidents of sacrilege and police firing on protesters. Deol had successfully got him blanket bail in four cases filed by the Punjab police.

DGP Sahota, who was the IG then, had given a clean chit to those responsible for the sacrilege (of Guru Granth Sahib)