‘Will accept what Sonia Gandhi decides’: Amarinder amid Punjab Congress infighting

New Delhi, July 06: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence here amid infighting in the state unit, and said whatever decisions she takes on changes in the organisation and the government will be acceptable.

The meeting that is part of the party leadership's efforts to end factionalism in the poll-bound state lasted around 90 minutes and the two leaders discussed governance and political matters.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was present during the meeting along with senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge who headed the party panel set up to resolve the infighting in the Punjab Congress.

The meeting assumed significance as the party high command has been trying to resolve the internal rift in the Punjab unit of the Congress and there is talk of its revamp, with just months to go for the assembly polls.

Congress leader for former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has been at loggerheads with the chief minister, attacking him on issues like the alleged delay in the completion of a probe into the 2015 desecration of Sikh texts and the subsequent police firing on protesters.

After his meeting with Sonia Gandhi, Singh told reporters, "Whatever decision the Congress president takes, we will implement it in Punjab. The decisions taken by Congress chief on anything -- the party and the government -- will be acceptable."

He said the party was all geared up for the assembly elections in the state, slated for early next year.

The chief minister said he always meets the Congress president whenever he is in Delhi and this was one such meet.

"I do not know anything about Sidhu sahib, I only discussed our government's work. Political issues were also discussed," he said, when asked whether a role for Navjot Singh Sidhu was also discussed during the meeting.

Singh was in Delhi twice last month to meet the three-member panel headed by Kharge.

The panel had given a set of suggestions to the party chief after talking to a cross-section of leaders from the state.

Later, Rahul Gandhi separately met several leaders from the state, including MLAs, MPs and former party chiefs, to assess of the situation.

Singh's meeting with Sonia Gandhi came days after Sidhu had met former party chief Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.