Charanjit Channi’s Oath As Chief Minister Shortly, Rahul Gandhi To Attend

New Delhi: Charanjit Singh Channi, a Dalit Sikh, are going to be sworn in as Punjab’s new Chief Minister today after Amarinder Singh’s weekend resignation just months before polls within the state. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will attend the oath ceremony Earlier reports had said Rahul Gandhi wouldn’t attend the oath– likely to be a restricted ceremony due to Covid — but sources say the Congress leader has decided to form an exception, given the tumultuous circumstances of the Punjab power shift.

Mr Gandhi has faced heavy criticism over his handling of the Punjab Congress crisis, which escalated within the past six months due to the ceaseless feud between Amarinder Singh and Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Mr Channi, 58, a three-time MLA and a minister within the outgoing Amarinder Singh cabinet, is understood to be on the brink of Mr Sidhu. He has limited appeal, compared to either Amarinder Singh or Mr Sidhu, but the Congress hopes that the self-made Dalit politician who has risen from the ranks can help settle the unrest.

Mr Channi was named after dramatic talks and negotiations on Sunday that saw a minimum of two more candidates edged out of the race. The party’s first pick, Ambika Soni, reportedly declined the offer during a late-night meeting with Rahul Gandhi; she stressed on the ramifications of a non-Sikh Chief Minister, particularly with an election due.

Rahul Gandhi, during a message after the announcement, tweeted: “Congratulations to Shri Charanjit Singh Channi Ji for the new responsibility. We must still fulfill the guarantees made to the people of Punjab. Their trust is of paramount importance.”

Unlike his predecessor, Mr Channi will have two deputies, both carefully chosen to fortify the Congress’s poll arithmetic Sources said Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa – earlier a frontrunner for the highest post– are going to be the Jat Sikh Deputy Chief Minister. For a deputy from the Hindu community, the party may choose Brahm Singh Mohindra By appointing Punjab’s first-ever Dalit Chief Minister, the Congress hopes to counter the Akali Dal (earlier in power in alliance with the BJP), which has joined with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to tap Dalit votes.

Dalits are around 31 per cent of Punjab’s population. However, the community has never voted cohesively for anybody leader within the past.

The Congress’ choice has drawn criticism from rivals due to sex harassment allegations against Mr Channi from a lady IAS officer. Mr Channi allegedly sent an inappropriate text in 2018, but the officer never filed a complaint. The claim resurfaced in May after the state’s Women’s Commission sent a notice posing for the state government’s response Mr Channi is predicted to satisfy with Amarinder Singh because the party attempts to succeed in bent the wounded “Captain”.

Amarinder Singh resigned on Saturday, after months of bickering with Mr Sidhu, when the Congress called a sudden meeting of MLAs without informing him. He called Congress president Sonia Gandhi and told her he felt humiliated, for the third time within the past few months. He told NDTV that though he had resigned, he wouldn’t accept Mr Sidhu because the party’s face for the Punjab polls.

The Captain has refused to reveal his plans, and his answers to questions on his future within the Congress are ominous for the party. within the past, he had formed his own outfit before returning to the Congress His resignation followed months of sniping with Mr Sidhu. Sources told NDTV the party made up its mind after around 50 of the party’s 80 MLAs wrote to Sonia Gandhi and asked for Mr Singh to get replaced .