Round one has gone to Amarinder Singh. Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu had to yield before the Congress high command when he sought the resignation of his most controversial adviser, Malvinder Singh Mali, on Friday.

Mali, however, in his statement, refrained from using the word “resignation”. Instead, he said he was withdrawing his “consent given for tendering suggestions to Navjot Singh Sidhu”. He also did not term himself as adviser to the state Congress chief.

AICC in-charge for Punjab Harish Rawat had asked Sidhu to remove Mali for his controversial Facebook posts on Kashmir and a derogatory sketch of Indira Gandhi and demanded his “immediate” removal.

The high command, which had come under attack from partymen and opponents alike at the national level over the remarks of Sidhu’s advisers, had no option but to tighten its stand.

TANTRUM: Sidhu, who was addressing an event in Amritsar on Friday, has been quoted as allegedly stating he would give a befitting reply if he was not given the freedom to take decisions.

After being appointed state Congress president, Sidhu had said he would ensure the party remains in power for 20 years, but for that he should be given freedom to take decisions. He said he had prepared a roadmap for the resurgence of the party.

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