After hours of hectic meetings and feedback from MLAs, the AICC appointed observers are learnt to have zeroed in the name of Sukhjinder Randhawa as the new CLP leader. He is a traditional Congressman and has been instrumental in taking on Capt Amarinder Singh.
Formal announcement after a while, said party sources.
Asked that his name was among the frontrunners, Randhawa replied he or his family “never hankers for any post”.
When the mediapersons here asked that can it be assumed that they are talking to the future chief minister, Randhawa quipped, ” You are talking to a Congressman”.
He slyly took a dig at Amarinder Singh who recently tendered his resignation from the post of Punjab CM. “A chief minister remains (in his post) only till the time when his party, people of the state stand by him”, he said.
Asked how soon can one expect the name of new CLP leader to be announced, Randhawa said, “We have authorized Congress president in this regard.” He said the party senior leadership has not only to talk to the MLAs, but other stalwarts too before finalizing the name. Asked why so much time is being taken to announce the CLP leader, he said, “If you have to make a village sarpanch, sometimes it takes 20 days to decide”.
On Saturday, Congress veteran Capt Amarinder Singh resigned as chief minister of Punjab with less than five months to go for the Assembly polls after a bruising power struggle with state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, and had said that he felt “humiliated” over the way the party handled the protracted crisis.
