Hours after he was asked to step down as the Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday resigned from the post. He met the Governor at Raj Bhavan and handed him his resignation letter.
The long-time Congress leader even hinted at quitting the party, speaking to reporters Saturday. “I am feeling humiliated. I have been in politics for 52 years. I will talk to my supporters and then I will decide on my future in politics,” Captain Amarinder stated, reports The Indian Express.
Earlier in the day, Congress high command Sonia Gandhi was learnt to have asked Amarinder to step down to facilitate the election of a new leader. The Chief Minister, however, refused to give in. Sources said Amarinder spoke to Sonia this morning and told her he would rather resign from the party than face such “humiliation”. The state goes to the polls early next year.
Meanwhile, Congress Legislature Party meeting underway at the party headquarters in Chandigarh Saturday. The AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab, Harish Rawat, called for the meeting at 5 pm today in a tweet at 11.39 pm Friday. Sources said former PCC president Sunil Jakhar, once an associate of the Chief Minister, is among the names being considered for the chief minister’s post. Amarinder Singh, however, has skipped the meet.
