New Delhi: Amarinder Singh resigned as Punjab Chief Minister today, months before polls, saying he had been “humiliated thrice” and that the Congress is free to “appoint whoever they trust”. He also said he would “exercise his options when the time comes”.
Here are the top 5 points from this big story:
- A sudden meeting of Punjab MLAs announced by the Congress late last night, with big hints that a majority of them had asked for change, drove a crisis of months to breaking point. Congress’s Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat tweeted about the meeting and Amarinder Singh’s rival Navjot Singh Sidhu shared the post.
2. Stung by the move, Amarinder Singh, 79, told reporters he had decided to resign in the morning. He said he had spoken with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and had told her he had put up with enough humiliation.
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3. “I was humiliated three times by the Congress leadership in the past two months…they called the MLAs to Delhi twice and now convened CLP (MLAs’ meeting) today. Apparently they (Congress leadership) do not have confidence in me and did not think I could handle my job.
4. But I felt humiliated at the manner in which they handled the whole affair… It’s now up to them to appoint anyone they trust,” Mr Singh said, flashing resentment that threatens to blow up for the Congress in the coming months.
5. Hours earlier, Sunil Jakhar had all but announced that Mr Singh was on his way out. “Kudos to Rahul Gandhi for adopting Alexandrian solution to this Punjabi version of Gordian knot. Surprisingly, this bold leadership decision to resolve Punjab Congress imbroglio has not only enthralled Congress workers but has sent shudders down the spines of Akalis,” Mr Jakhar tweeted.
Kudos to Sh @RahulGandhi for adopting Alexandrian solution to this punjabi version of Gordian knot. Surprisingly, this bold leadership decision to resolve Punjab Congress imbroglio has not only enthralled congress workers but has sent shudders down the spines of Akalis.
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— Sunil Jakhar (@sunilkjakhar) September 18, 2021
Submitted my resignation to Honble Governor. pic.twitter.com/sTH9Ojfvrh
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) September 18, 2021