A decision in this regard was taken after an over two hour long meeting between CM, Navjoy Singh Sidhu and senior Congress leader Harish Chaudhary.
The Congress high command has decided to set up a three-member committee comprising Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Navjot Singh Sidhu and AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat to resolve the impasse over key government appointments and induction of “tainted” ministers into the new cabinet.
A decision in this regard was taken after an over two hour-long meeting between Channi, Sidhu and senior Congress leader Harish Chaudhary at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh on Thursday evening.
The decision comes on a day when former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced that he would quit the party, but not join the BJP. Sources said that the high command has decided to involve Sidhu in the process of finding a replacement for Advocate-General APS Deol, who was chosen by the Channi government recently. His appointment has raised eyebrows as Deol was associated with ex-Punjab DGP Sumedh Saini and suspended Inspector General of Police Paramraj Singh Umranangal. Deol had even represented Saini in an alleged corruption case.
As part of the truce plan, a panel of names will be sent to the UPSC for appointment of a new DGP. The government had recently given additional charge of the DGP to Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota, whose name Sidhu had opposed. The PCC chief had put forward the name of Siddharth Chattopadhyaya, who headed the SIT probing drug charges against a senior police official.
Sources said that the high command had also decided that the three-member panel would meet at least once a week to discuss key government decisions and appointments. However, there was no consensus on replacing “tainted” ministers. Sidhu was reported to be keen on inducting MLA Surjit Dhiman in the cabinet.
Earlier in the day, it was announced that Sidhu would remain as the Punjab Congress president after the MLA met CM Channi to hold talks, and most of his demands were accepted. A decision is likely to be formally announced at a Cabinet meeting that has been called on October 4.
