Captain okays Sidhu as Punjab Congress chief, but there is a catch

New Delhi, July 18: There have been hectic developments in Punjab with Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh reiterating that he has accepted the decision to make Navjot Singh Sidhu, the chief of the Congress party in the state.

However, he underlined that he reasoned miffed at how the issue had been handled and said that he would accept Sidhu's position on the condition that he issue a public apology for derogatory tweets against him.

Captain Singh's assent comes after his meeting with AICC general secretary and Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat, who flew down to Chandigarh in what was seen as an effort to placate the chief minister.

Sidhu has been critical of Amarinder Singh after the Punjab and Haryana High Court in April quashed a probe into the 2015 Kotkapura firing case. Sidhu had questioned the alleged "deliberate delay" in ensuring justice and had accused Amarinder of evading responsibility in the 2015 sacrilege case.

Meanwhile, the cricketer-turned-politician held a series of meetings through the day with Punjab Pradesh Congress President Sunil Jakhar as well as several MLAs, including loyalists of the chief minister, fuelling further speculation about next steps in the dissension-riven Punjab Congress that has long been caught in the Sidhu-Amarinder feud.