Sunil Jakhar, Issues Stun Warning for Congress in Punjab

NEW DELHI: Following Congress’s loss in Punjab to the Aam Aadmi Party, Sunil Jakhar slammed former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and senior party leader Ambika Soni and held Channi’s greed ‘liable’ for the party’s performance in the state. He also indirectly blamed Ambika Soni for suggesting the name of Channi as the CM in the first place, after Amarinder Singh’s exit.

The former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar has yet again hurled a Twitter attack on the party reeling from the recent loss of Punjab assembly election as he said the ‘ghost of religion/caste/identity politics’ will haunt the Congress in Punjab even in 2024 Lok Sabha election and beyond.      

Before Charanjit Singh became Punjab’s first Dalit chief minister, Sunil Jakhar’s name was also doing the rounds and had Sunil Jakhar been made the CM, he would have been the first Hindu CM of Punjab. However, at that time, Ambika Soni made a statement that Punjab should get a Sikh CM. To this, Jakhar had said, “The making up of this Hindu vs Sikh issue is an insult to Punjab, which is so secular in character. We have faced so much in the state. It has come back to normal with so much effort.”

The issue has been raked up again by Sunil Jakhar as the party is introspecting the recent loss in Punjab. Jakhar has said the perception that Channi was trying to create about his ‘humble background’ was shattered after the alleged recovery of cash from his nephew’s premises. “Accept the truth. There is a problem and you promoted him and now you are trying to give him a clean chit,” he said.

The Congress has blamed former chief minister Amarinder Singh for its poor performance in Punjab and Navjot Sidhu has been fired from the post of the Punjab Congress chief, along with the party chiefs of all states that went to the polls.