Jakhar supports Rahul's decision to appoint Channi as CM

Chandigarh: Days after showing discontent at being left out, former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar on Friday dubbed Rahul Gandhi's move to choose Charanjit Singh Channi a "bold decision".

Jakhar also slammed the Congress' rivals for attacking the party over the choice of chief minister, saying they are missing the forest while counting trees in attributing political motives to the decision.

"What (former party president) Rahul Gandhi has done by choosing Charanjeet Channi as chief minister is that he has broken the barely perceptible 'glass ceiling'," Jakhar said in a statement shared by him on his Twitter handle today. Channi is the first chief minister of the state who comes from a Scheduled Caste. "This bold decision, though very much rooted in the ethos of Sikhism, is nevertheless a watershed moment not only for the polity but also for the social fabric of the state," he said.

The former PCC President's statement has come two days after he accompanied Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on a flight to Delhi when the two were returning to the national capital from Shimla vial Chandigarh.

Before Channi was sworn in as the chief minister of Punjab on Monday following unceremonious exit of Amarinder Singh, Jakhar was considered to be the frontrunner for the top post.