Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Congress Party has effected a major organisational change in Punjab, appointing Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh as the new president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC). His appointment will take effect immediately.
The move comes after former PPCC chief and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring formally submitted his resignation from the post to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi.
Warring met Rahul Gandhi at his residence at 10 Janpath and later told the media that he had resigned on his own. “I have resigned myself,” Warring said, adding that in the Congress, resignations are generally not formally accepted and a letter of thanks is issued instead.
Warring spoke briefly and cautiously to the media after his meeting with Rahul Gandhi. While he appeared disappointed over being replaced as the state Congress chief, he attempted to play down his emotions, saying, “I am always happy.”
He said he had also apprised Rahul Gandhi of the challenges facing the Congress in Punjab. Warring further indicated that he needed some time away, saying, “Now I feel I should take a few days off.”
Warring also raised questions about Punjab Congress in-charge Sachin Pilot. He said he was not certain, but “Sachin Pilot may have felt that I should be removed.”
Warring claimed that he had met Pilot only once in Delhi, when he had gone to wish him on his birthday. He said the two were later together for around two hours during a protest in Chandigarh.
The appointment of Pargat Singh marks a fresh organisational change for the Punjab Congress as the party looks to strengthen its state unit.
