Amlendu Bhushan Khan / New Delhi : The crisis in Punjab Congress is brewing with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) sources not ruling out pressure for replacement of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh after nearly 50 MLAs have written to the high command in this respect. High command hurriedly called a CLP meeting, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has reportedly expressed his ‘resentment’ at the ‘humiliation’ meted out to him by the senior party leadership. AICC-appointed observers Harish Chaudhary and Ajay Maken and Punjab Affairs incharge Harish Rawat are scheduled to arrive here to hold a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP).
Though the Punjab Chief Minister had gone incommunicado, sources close to him said that he had called senior party leaders like Kamal Nath and Manish Tewari and made obvious his ‘angst’ at the way developments had taken place in the past 24 hours.
“He is angry at this kind of humiliation. At midnight you call a CLP; it’s as if some kind of a secret operation is taking place,’’ commented a source close to the CM.
Though there was no official confirmation, the agenda of the CLP meeting called by the party high command is to choose the new CLP leader in place of Capt Amarinder Singh. The MLAs are likely to approve a single-line agenda authorising party president Sonia Gandhi to elect the new leader.
“In such a scenario, the party high command asks the CM to put in his papers ahead of the CLP meeting. It is to be seen how things unfold during the day,” said a senior leader privy to the developments.
Senior congress leader Sunil Jakhar twit “Kudos to Sh @RahulGandhi for adopting Alexandrian solution to this punjabi version of Gordian knot. Surprisingly, this bold leadership decision to resolve Punjab Congress imbroglio has not only enthralled congress workers but has sent shudders down the spines of Akalis”.
If things fall in place, the new leader will be elected today itself. The names doing the rounds are those of Sunil Jakhar, Partap Bajwa and Sukhjinder Randhawa.
The anti-CM camp has been busy for the past few days mobilising MLAs against the CM.
Though the CM had gone incommunicado, sources close to him say he had called senior party leaders like Kamal Nath and Manish Tewari and made obvious his ‘angst’ at the latest developments
Meanwhile, Sunil Jakhar is the frontrunner in case there is a change, sources say.
The CM, meanwhile, is learnt to have called up Sonia Gandhi expressing deep hurt over his “continuing public humiliation”.
A dark horse could replace the CM should the CLP meeting pass a resolution to have a new leader of the legislature party.
State ministers close to Navjot Sidhu, including Sukhjinder Randhawa and Tript Bajwa, have been openly raising a banner of revolt against the CM.
It’s unclear why the Congress put out a rushed CLP meeting notice on Friday night, amid the speculation whether Amarinder had personally hinted at distancing himself from the Congress.
“This is certainly not the way. This constant refrain that the CM didn’t deliver makes no sense because the delivery of party manifesto promises is the collective work of the cabinet,” said a Punjab Congress leader.
“We want to discuss with the CM the next course of action and after which we will have some clarity on what to do,” a senior minister said.
Meanwhile, sources told the that names of three probables as Amarinder’s replacement had cropped up, all of them non-MLAs. They are former state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, Ludhiana MP Ravneet Bittu and former state chief Partap Bajwa.
“These are early speculations but we have heard these three names,” said a Punjab minister.