‘Never crave for post’: Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Punjab politics
Amid fears over who will preside over the CM’s seat in Punjab, probable candidate Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Sunday said that he has never craved for posts. The middle is spinning. New leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Punjab. When asked if his name was at the fore, Randhawa replied that he or his family “never aspire for any position”.
When asked by media persons here whether it can be assumed that he was talking to a future Chief Minister, Randhawa quipped, “You are talking to a Congressman”.
He slyly took a dig at Amarinder Singh who had recently resigned as the Chief Minister of Punjab. “A chief minister (in his post) remains as long as his party, the people of the state stand by him,” he said.
When asked how soon the name of the new CLP leader could be announced, Randhawa said, “We have authorized the Congress president in this regard.” He said that the senior leadership of the party has to talk to not only the MLAs but also other veterans before finalizing the name. Asked why it is taking so long to announce a CLP leader, he said, “If you have to make a village sarpanch, sometimes it takes 20 days to decide.”
Congress’s Pargat Singh recently revealed that the name of the next CM of Punjab can be announced in the coming time.
When Amarinder Singh said that he was feeling humiliated, Randhawa replied, “So far, BJP has changed five chief ministers and in Congress too, some chief ministers have changed. In Congress, Amarinder Singh’s maximum tenure is one and a half years. It is nine. Years as chief minister. The respect he got, I think no other chief minister has got so much respect.”
When asked about the reason for differences with Amarinder Singh, he said, “When we felt that the promises were made… and elections were near and the Congress high command and we also got worried.”
On Amarinder Singh’s resentment against Navjot Singh Sidhu after he resigned as chief minister, Randhawa termed it “unfortunate” that a senior leader had used such words. “I think it is unfortunate that a senior leader has used such words against the Punjab Congress chief,” he said. “Even today, I consider him like a father,” said the Minister of Prisons and Cooperation in the outgoing cabinet of Amarinder Singh.
(PTI Input)
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