Charanjit Singh Channi to be Congress's Punjab CM face, announces Rahul Gandhi

Ludhiana, Feb 06: Congress' Dalit face Charanjit Singh Channi to be party's chief minister face for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections, announced Rahul Gandhi on Sunday.

Rahul made the announcement at the Ludhiana virtual rally, saying "Punjab CM will come from a poor family, Chaani will be CM face for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections."

"It was a tough decision, you made it easy," said Gandhi declaring Channi as the party's CM face. Gandhi warmly hugged Channi, Sidhu and party leader Sunil Jakhar after he made the announcement.

Before the announcement, both Channi and Sidhu again assured that whoever is chosen by the party as the CM face, they will stand by the decision.

Gandhi's announcement came after a telepoll where people were asked to choose between Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.

Besides taking feedback from its leaders and workers, the Congress sought the opinion of the public on who should be its chief ministerial candidate through an automated call system.

Gandhi also lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he is not the PM but a "king".

"Have you seen Modiji among people. Have you seen him helping anyone on the roadside," asked Gandhi as he sought to compare Channi's humble background.

"Political leaders are not made in the media and TV debates. A person becomes a leader after years of struggle and the Congress has no dearth of such jewels," said Gandhi at the beginning of his speech.

"Politics is not an event...a political leader has to fight. Many political leaders fight their own battles," he said, adding that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi fights his own battle.

"There are leaders who stand for issues. Punjab is in the blood of Channi and Sidhu," he said.