Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned in rage in September over the appointments made by Charanjit Channi
New Delhi:
Navjot Singh Sidhu today said that he has withdrawn his resignation as Punjab Congress chief but lost no time in giving a fresh ultimatum to his party. He said he would return to his office when a new Advocate General is appointed.
This may be difficult, given that Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has reportedly rejected APS Deol’s resignation, Mr Sidhu wants to be removed from the post of Advocate General of Punjab.
“I have withdrawn my resignation,” Mr Sidhu told reporters, finally declaring what had been speculated after his meeting with Rahul Gandhi three weeks ago.
“When a new Advocate General is appointed, I will go to the party office and take charge,” he said.
Mr Deol submitted his resignation to the chief minister on Monday following repeated attacks by Mr Sidhu, who wants him to represent the police, two accused in a 2015 sacrilege and police firing case.
The state government is yet to clarify whether the resignation has been accepted or not. Sources say Mr Channi refused to accept it, which further angered Sidhu.
Mr Deol was the lawyer for former police chief Sumedh Saini, an accused in a case related to sacrilege of Sikh religious scripture Guru Granth Sahib and police firing on protesters.
Apart from the Advocate General, Mr. Sidhu is also pushing for the removal of IPS Sahota from the post of Punjab Police Chief. Mr Sahota was then the head of a special investigation team set up in 2015 to probe sacrilege incidents by the Akali government.
Sidhu expressed his displeasure and said, “How can a person like Sumedh Saini’s bail advocate Advocate General and IPS Sahota be a DGP.”
“I am reminding the new chief minister about these issues. Who was the pioneer in highlighting the issue of drugs and sacrilege? It was our president Rahul Gandhi. We should solve these issues,” the cricketer-turned-politician, nudged Leading his party to kill.
“When this year one chief minister replaced another, what was the AICC (All India Congress Committee) mandate?”
Mr Sidhu resigned in September objecting to appointments made by Charanjit Singh Channi – the man who replaced his rival Amarinder Singh – as chief minister.
Amarinder Singh was forced to step down in September after months of tussle with Sidhu. But his exit did not end the infighting in the Punjab Congress.
With Punjab elections just a few weeks away, Sidhu has not stopped taking a jibe at his own government and Mr. Channi on a range of subjects.
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