The newly appointed CM of Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi will come to Jaipur to meet veteran Congress leader and CM of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday. Gehlot will host a lunch in honour of Channi. However it is not clear whether Gehlot has invited Channi or he is coming on his wish or on the behest of the party but it is believed that whatever the situation may be, it is politically beneficial for Gehlot.
Punjab CM will arrive at Jaipur at around noon and will stay here for 3-4 hours. Gehlot will host a lunch for him with his cabinet collegaues and prominent leaders of the party. Some representatives of the Sikh community are also invited to the lunch.
Sources say that if Gehlot has invited Channi then this meeting and lunch is a political message from Gehlot that at a time when most of the party leaders and G-23, in particular, is questioning the decision of Punjab, he is there to stand with every decision of the party.
Notably, Gehlot was the only Congress leader and CM who came openly to defend the party high command’s decision on Punjab and had said: "I personally feel that Congress president choose the CM candidate from the pool of many who are in the race for the top post. The president even faces resentment from those not chosen for the post." He had also advised Amarinder Singh to not take any step that damages Congress.
"At a time when Gehlot is himself facing challenges, this show of solidarity and loyalty to party high command is very significant and may prove to be beneficial for him in time of crisis," said a senior party leader on anonymity.
On the other hand, if Channi is coming on his wish or at the behest of the party high command, then it shows Gehlot’s stature in the party as after Kumari Sailja and DK Shivkumar, Channi will be the third prominent party leader of other states who is coming to meet Gehlot in recent days.
However, the credible sources denied that Channi is coming to Jaipur on the behest of party high command.
Notably, the Punjab Congress political crisis had a Rajasthan connection also as the revenue minister of Rajasthan Harish Choudhry was once the in-charge of Punjab Congress and was there as an observer with Ajay Maken and in-charge of the party Harish Rawat during recent CLP meeting.
