After Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu urged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to announce the Chief Ministerial face for the Punjab Assembly elections on Thursday, he said that decision will be taken by the party workers.
Addressing a virtual rally in Jalandhar, Rahul Gandhi said, "We have had a talk in the car that who will lead Punjab going forward. Media people call this the CM candidate. Both Channiji and Sidhuji told me that this is the most crucial question in front of Punjab that who will lead the Congress."
He further said that both Channi and Sidhu assured him that whoever be the CM face for Punjab, the other person will support him.
"See, two people can't lead. Only one will lead. Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi and State Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu assured me that whoever becomes the CM face, the other person will support him. I was listening to them. I was happy. We will ask Congress workers to decide Punjab Chief Ministerial candidate," Rahul Gandhi said.
Amid apparent tension between Channi and Sidhu, they put up a show of camaraderie as Channi hugged Sidhu and said there is no fight between them. "People say there is a fight between us. Announce the Chief Minister face for Punjab polls and we will stand united, Rahul Gandhi Ji," Charanjit Singh Channi said as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also present at the gathering.
Amid speculations of apparent tension between Channi and Sidhu, the Punjab Chief Minister hugged him and said that there is no fight between us.
"There is no fight between us. Announce Chief Minister face for Punjab polls, we will stand united," said Channi during a gathering where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also present.
Congress leader, who is on a day-long visit to Punjab for campaigning for the upcoming assembly polls, visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Thursday.
The Congress leader was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the party's state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. They also ate 'langar' at Golden Temple.
Meanwhile, five MPs and leaders of the Congress party were absent from Rahul Gandhi's rally in Punjab's Amritsar ahead of State Assembly elections that are scheduled to take place on February 20.
These five MPs were Manish Tewari, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Jasbir Singh Gill, Preneet Kaur, and Mohammad Sadiq.
"We had no problem in going. We came to know that the event was for the 117 candidates. Neither the PCC president nor the CM invited us; not even the general secretary in charge. If we had been invited, we would have definitely gone," Jasbir Singh Gill, Congress MP from Punjab told ANI.
Further, a group of people, wearing black ribbons also staged a demonstration during Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's visit to Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal in Amritsar.
Notably, this is the first visit of Rahul Gandhi since the imposition of a ban on physical rallies by the Election Commission of India at the start of the month.Punjab will go to the assembly polls on February 20. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
( With inputs from ANI )
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