Amid political turmoil in Punjab, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said that he hopes that Captain Amarinder Singh would not take any step which would hurt the party's interests.
Taking to Twitter, Ashok Gehlot said: "I hope that Captain Amarinder Singh Ji will not take any such step which will harm the Congress party. Captain Sahib himself said that the party had kept him as Chief Minister for nine and a half years. He has served the people of Punjab by working to the best of his ability."
"The direction in which our country is going due to fascist forces, is a matter of grave concern. Therefore, at such a time, the responsibility of all Congressmen is to rise above ourselves and think in the interest of the party and the country," Ashok Gehlot said.
"I also personally believe that the High Command chooses the chief minister after facing the displeasure of many leaders who are in the race to become the CM. But while changing the same chief minister, they get upset with the decision of the high command. During such times, one has to listen to their conscience," he added.
He stated that Amarinder Singh was a respected leader of the party. "I hope that he will continue to work keeping the interests of the party ahead," Ashok Gehlot added.
The Rajasthan Chief Minister's tweet comes a day after Captain Amarinder Singh while resigning as Chief Minister said he had been "humiliated thrice" and that the Congress is free to "appoint whoever they trust".
Congress veteran Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday resigned as Chief Minister of Punjab with less than five months to go for the Assembly polls after a bruising power struggle with state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, and said he felt "humiliated" over the way the party handled the protracted crisis.
The 79-year-old Amarinder Singh, one of the Congress' powerful regional satraps, put in his papers after speaking to party president Sonia Gandhi and shortly before a crucial meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Chandigarh in the evening. He later launched a no-holds-barred attack against Navjot Singh Sidhu, describing his bete noire, a cricketer-turned-politician, as a "total disaster".
(With inputs from Agencies)
