Amarinder Singh holds meet with party leaders; discusses to take on SAD-BJP

Amarinder holds show of strength amid infighting in Pb unit Patiala, Jan 11 (PTI)

Amid raging infighting in Congress' Punjab unit, former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday held a meeting with party leaders including MLAs and district chiefs, in an apparent show of strength.

Amarinder's bete noir and PCC president Partap Singh Bajwa was conspicuous by his absence at the luncheon meet at his Moti Bagh Palace, which came days after Amarinder met Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Delhi and was understood to have sought removal of the state unit chief.

However, sources close to Amarinder said the meeting was organised to draft a strategy in order to take on ruling SAD-BJP regime in the state. State Congress Legislature Party Leader Sunil Jakhar, former state Finance Minister and senior Congress MLA Lal Singh, MLAs Rana Gurmit Sodhi, Rana Gurjit Singh, Guriqbal Kaur, Gurkirat Singh Kotli and former State Congress president Mohinder Singh Kaypee were present at the meeting. Senior Congress leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal was not present, sources said.

Meanwhile, Bajwa today declined to comment on the luncheon. After Amarinder's meeting with Sonia Gandhi, Bajwa had hit back at former Punjab Chief Minister for crossing the "Lakshman Rekha" and had asked him not to "share his mind" with the media, claiming that his statement could "demoralise" the party cadre ahead of civic polls next month.

Bajwa had added that he would continue in the post as long as the party high command had confidence in him.