Sidhu exit: Punjab CM Charanjeet Channy holds emergency cabinet meeting

Chandigarh, Sep 29: A day after Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu tendered his resignation, new chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi held an emergency cabinet meeting amid buzz of more exits in solidarity with Sidhu.

Sidhu's resignation on Tuesday triggering other resignations and plunging the party into a fresh crisis just months ahead of the assembly elections.

Hours after his resignation, Razia Sultana, a part of the new 18-member ministry led by Charanjit Singh Channi, too put in her papers, expressing solidarity with the former cricketer.

Punjab Congress general secretary Yoginder Dhingra and treasurer Gulzar Inder Chahal followed with their resignations. Amid a flurry of political activity, several state Congress leaders visited Sidhu at his home in Patiala.

Sidhu, 57, who announced his resignation shortly after the allocation of portfolios to the new ministers, said he remains with the party.

He was appointed the party''s state unit president on July 18 amid a bitter power tussle with Amarinder Singh, who stepped down as the CM 10 days back while accusing the party high command of humiliating him.

Sidhu didn''t elaborate why he has quit.

But speculation in party circles ranges from his displeasure over the allocation of the home portfolio to Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa to the appointments of the acting police chief and the state advocate general by the new CM.