Sidhu meets Channi; Amarinder says 'not joining BJP'
Chandigarh/ New Delhi: Days after he stepped down as Punjab Congress chief, Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday met Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi "for talks" at the Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh.
According to sources, all issues were "resolved to satisfaction" between Sidhu and the Channi Cabinet during the meeting. Before the meeting, Sidhu had said that he was open to "any discussions".
Meanwhile, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday laid rumours to rest, confirming that he will not be joining BJP, but will be leaving the Congress. In an interview with NDTV, Singh, who was forced to step down as CM earlier this month, said he will not be "treated in this manner".
"So far I am in the Congress but I will not remain in the Congress. I have already made my position very clear. I will not be treated in this manner," the Captain said in an interview a day after meeting with Union Home minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Soon after the reveal, he dropped "Congress" from his Twitter bio. A formal resignation would come at an "appropriate time", he said.
Pulling no punches, the Captain also predicted the Congress' downfall in Punjab — in the run-up to the polls — and called his rival Navjot Singh Sidhu a "childish man" who had been given a serious job by the party.
Meanwhile, though neither Sidhu nor Channi spoke to the media after the meeting, sources close to the former said issues on which he had tendered his resignation will be resolved and the cricketer-turned-politician will continue to remain on the party post.
Channi left the meeting venue around 6 pm while Sidhu came out about half-an-hour later.Neither of the two, nor any other party leader spoke to the media after the meeting concluded. Sources suggest that some of Sidhu's major concerns, including the appointment of Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota as DGP, are likely to be addressed by Channi.
Earlier, Sidhu reached Chandigarh from Patiala to meet Channi. The meeting was reportedly arranged after a number of MLAs called up both Sidhu and the Chief Minister to find an amicable solution.
Before his meeting with Channi, Sidhu attacked the state's new DGP, alleging that he wrongly indicted two Sikh youths in a desecration case and gave a clean chit to the Badals. Condemning the ongoing crisis within the Punjab Congress, former PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar said it was time to end repeated attempts to undermine the authority of the Chief Minister. In a veiled dig at Navjot Singh Sidhu, Jakhar said that it was wrong for 'aspersions to be cast' on the selection of top officials, like AG and DGP.
