He also briefed Gandhi on the Congress' strengths and the challenges it faced in the state: Reports
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday appointed former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh as president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), replacing Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who submitted his resignation to former party president Rahul Gandhi earlier in the day.
After meeting Gandhi, Warring suggested that newly appointed AICC general secretary in-charge of Punjab Sachin Pilot may have wanted him replaced, though he acknowledged that he had no concrete proof.
“When he was appointed in-charge, I went to formally congratulate him. I spoke with him for about 15 minutes that day, but I haven't met him since,” Warring said.
“Given my long journey in politics, I feel that Sachin Pilot must have decided it was time to remove ‘Raja’ from the post. I don't have concrete proof of this, but perhaps the general secretary felt that Raja should be removed,” he said.
Warring said he had conveyed his views to Gandhi and discussed the political situation in Punjab and the challenges facing the Congress ahead of the Assembly elections.
“Rahul Gandhi gave me a lot of love. He sought information about the current political situation in Punjab, what is happening with the government and what we should be doing there,” he said.
Warring said he also briefed Gandhi on the Congress' strengths and the challenges it faced in the state.
Warring headed the Punjab Congress for more than four years. His departure comes ahead of the Assembly elections due early next year and follows prolonged factionalism within the state unit.
Pargat Singh, a former captain of the Indian hockey team, represented the country at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. He entered politics through the Shiromani Akali Dal before joining the Congress and was elected MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment on a Congress ticket in 2017.
The Congress had recently replaced former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel as its Punjab in-charge and appointed Pilot in his place.
The leadership change followed an organisational review by Pilot, who held consultations with Punjab Congress leaders amid continuing factionalism in the state unit. A report submitted by him to the party high command preceded the decision to replace Warring, according to party sources.
