Punjab Congress MLAs on Saturday authorised party president Sonia Gandhi to pick a new CLP leader, on a day Amarinder Singh resigned as the state chief minister. A resolution to this effect was passed unanimously in a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party.
Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken, who was one of the two central observers deputed by the party, told reporters that 78 of 80 party MLAs were present in the meeting.
He said another resolution praising and thanking Amarinder Singh for his contribution towards Punjab and the Congress was also unanimously passed at the meeting. "We expect that the party will continue to get the guidance of Amarinder Singh," he said.
Congress veteran Amarinder Singh resigned as chief minister of Punjab, declaring that he feels "humiliated" and said he won’t accept state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu as the next CM or the party face in the Assembly polls.
Sidhu was made the state Congress chief earlier this year despite opposition by Amarinder Singh.
"I feel humiliated," Amarinder Singh told reporters outside the Punjab Raj Bhawan after submitting his resignation to Governor Banwarilal Purohit.
"I have resigned, let them make anyone (next CM)," he further said.
Congress leader Sunil Jakhar is likely to be new Chief Minister of Punjab, as per sources.
The development has come amid a power tussle that polarised the ruling party in the state headed for elections in just about four months.
The Congress leader, however, in another interaction with the media said he won’t accept Navjot Singh Sidhu as the Punjab chief minister, describing him as "a total disaster".
"He is a total disaster. When he was a minister (in Amarinder cabinet), he could not even run one ministry, now can he run entire Punjab? I know that man has no capability at all," said Amarinder Singh.
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