Raja Warring, Sukhjinder Randhawa and Pargat Singh addressing mediapersons after meeting Capt Amarinder Singh
Chandigarh, May 20, 2020: To cool down the simmering resentment among Congress MLAs, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh organised a luncheon meeting at his retreat in the picturesque surroundings of Siswan today.
Among the invitees were ‘rebel’ MLAs Raja Warring, Pargat Singh and Sangat Singh Gilzian, PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar and Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa among others.
Pargat and Warring have been criticising their own government on various issues since the last three years and Warring in particular has been quite vocal of late in criticising the excise policy of the state and has trained his guns at Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, who heads the excise department.
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Warring is also nursing ambitions of getting a Cabinet berth and has been quite forthright about it. He has called for Cabinet reshuffle and ouster of non-performers ministers many times in the past.
ALSO READ: Raja Warring calls for cabinet reshuffle, shunting out of non-performers
According to sources, the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere with the MLAs raising many issues with the CM, who assured them that he will address all of them.
The Chief Minister later said the party leaders had also raised the issue of the Chief Secretary and the alleged Excise Revenue losses, to which he responded that he was apprised of the issue and was personally looking into it.
Click to watch Video of Sukhjinder Randhawa , Warring and Pargat Singh
The full text of the press release issue by CM is as under :
CAPT AMARINDER HOSTS FEW PUNJAB CONG LEADERS/MLAs OVER LUNCH, DISCUSSIONS CENTRE ON COVID & LOCKDOWN
Chandigarh, May 20
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday discussed the dynamically evolving Covid situation with some of his party colleagues and MLAs.
The Chief Minister had invited them for an informal lunch, during which discussions were held on the prevailing Covid crisis and the prolonged lockdown in the state.
In view of the social distancing norms and stringent Covid related safety protocols in place, Captain Amarinder had invited only a handful of party leaders/members, namely PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar, Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa, MLAs Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Pargat Singh and Sangat Singh Gilzian.
The PPCC leaders/MLAs shared with the Chief Minister their suggestions on the Covid pandemic and the problems faced by the state due to the resultant lockdown. Captain Amarinder welcomed the suggestions and said he would take them into account as the state moved towards more relaxations and revival of economy.
Discussions were held on the situation on the ground across districts, particularly in the context of the large number of people returning to Punjab from abroad and other states. The party leaders congratulated the Chief Minister on the various steps taken to keep the spread of the pandemic under check, the smooth wheat procurement operations, the augmentation of health and testing infrastructure and the overall handling of the situation by the state government.
Expressing pleasure at meeting them, Captain Amarinder said he was also happy to spend time with party leaders and members, whose opinion he valued in all critical matters. He assured them of all possible measures by his government to minimise the impact of Covid, reiterating that his priority was to save lives. At the same time, the state government was also striving to restore some normalcy to alleviate the sufferings of the people, he said.
The Chief Minister later said the party leaders had also raised the issue of the Chief Secretary and the alleged Excise Revenue losses, to which he responded that he was apprised of the issue and was personally looking into it.