Amid the ongoing crisis in Punjab Congress, Navjot Singh Sidhu will continue as the Punjab Congress chief and a coordination panel is likely to be set up, which is expected to be consulted before any major decisions by the Punjab government in the future, party sources told PTI.
Navjot Singh Sidhu is now back on board after an agreement was reached with Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi on Thursday, reported NDTV.
The decision was reached after an over two-hour meeting at the Punjab Congress Bhavan between Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Sidhu, who had resigned from the post of the state party chief on Tuesday.
Sources told PTI that the panel may comprise the CM, Navjot Singh Sidhu and a representative of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC). The AICC is expected to make an announcement in this regard.
Miffed Sidhu on Wednesday had raised a question over the appointments of the DGP, state's advocate general and "tainted" leaders.
Besides Channi and Sidhu, the meeting was attended by senior Congress leader and central observer Harish Chaudhary, minister Pargat Singh and Punjab Congress working president Kuljit Nagra.
Minister Raj Kumar Verka, MLAs Inderbir Singh Bolaria, Avtar Singh Junior and PPCC working president Pawan Goel were in another room.
Meanwhile, state cabinet minister Pargat Singh said everything is fine in the party. "Everything is fine," Pargat Singh told media after the meeting. However, all the other leaders refused to comment after the meeting.
Sidhu had tendered his resignation as Punjab Congress chief on September 28. He was reportedly upset over the bureaucratic setup and his commands not being followed after Cabinet expansion in Punjab.
Sidhu's resignation as state party chief has intensified the crisis in the Punjab Congress. A minister and three Congress leaders, considered close to him, stepped down from their posts.This comes as a big blow to the Congress that was hoping to resolve the turmoil in the Congress unit of Punjab ahead of the Assembly elections early next year.
Charanjeet Singh Channi took oath as the 16th Chief Minister of Punjab on September 20, days after Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down from the post of Punjab Chief Minister following months of infighting between him and Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Amarinder Singh had resigned as Chief Minister on September 18 and had told the media that the Congress leadership had let him down. He had also taken a dig at Sidhu over his resignation, saying he is not a stable man.
Sidhu was made PCC chief by Congress leadership in July to stem infighting in Punjab Congress ahead of next year's assembly polls but the party is now grappling with a fresh crisis.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
