Punjab CM inducts Sukhpal Khaira, 2 rebel AAP MLAs in Congress before Delhi visit

Amid the increased political activity within Punjab Congress, Bholath MLA and former Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira along with two rebel AAP MLAs Pirmal Singh and Jagdev Singh Kamalu joined the party on Thursday.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh inducted three legislators--Khaira along with Bhadaur MLA Singh, and Maur MLA Kamalu--into the party fold in a low-key event at his residence before his visit to Delhi to meet the party's three-member panel (constituted to resolve factionalism in Punjab Congress).

"Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh before leaving for Delhi today welcomed Sukhpal Singh Khaira, MLA and former Leader of Opposition and his two AAP MLA colleagues namely Jagdev Singh Kamalu, MLA Maur, and Pirmal Singh Dhaula, MLA Bhadaur into the party fold," tweeted Punjab Congress.

Former Leader of Opposition, Khaira, after quitting the Congress had joined the AAP in December 2015 and was elected from the Bholath Assembly seat in 2017 on AAP ticket. He later resigned from AAP in January 2019 and formed Punjabi Ekta Party.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh along with Punjab Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla reached Kapurthala House in Delhi, ahead of the expected meeting with the three-member panel on Friday.

Earlier today, Congress leader Harish Rawat had informed that Punjab Chief Minister will meet the party's three-member panel formed by Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi to resolve factionalism in Punjab Congress on June 4.

Rawat along with Mallikarjun Kharge and JP Aggarwal are the member of the panel formed to resolve the widening differences between its leaders - Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Now, eight months before the election, the demand to replace Captain is gaining momentum. The Congress leadership has formed a committee to stop the rebellion, but the challenge before the committee is very complex. The most complicated thing is that this dispute is not limited only to the tussle between Captain and Sidhu.

In two days, a panel set up by Sonia Gandhi has met more than 50 Punjab MLAs in Delhi. Some have spoken of unity and discipline in the party, while some leaders have demanded the change.