Not Sonia Gandhi but 78 MLAs removed Amarinder Singh as CM: Congress spokesperson

It was not party president Sonia Gandhi, but 78 party MLAs who sought the removal of Amarinder Singh as Punjab chief minister, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said on Saturday. When a chief minister loses the confidence of all his legislators, he must no longer remain in the post, Surjewala maintained. The clarification comes following Amarinder Singh's accusations that the party leadership 'humiliated' him after he submitted his resignation. After the Congress chose him as the new legislative party leader, Charanjit Singh Channi replaced Amarinder Singh as Punjab CM last month.

"Seventy-eight out of 79 legislators (in Punjab) had written for a change of the chief minister. Had we not changed the CM, you would have accused us of being a dictator. Seventy-eight MLAs are on one side and a CM is on the other side and you are not listening to them," said Surjewala.

"Sonia Gandhi is the president of the Congress party and the decision on changing the CM in Punjab was not taken by her. As I told you, 78 MLAs had written and then we changed the CM," added Surjewala.

Amarinder Singh had earlier discarded the claims of the Congress that he had lost the confidence of the MLAs. He asserted that Congress was going downhill with senior leaders ignored.

Surjewala further noted that it was for the first time that Punjab is having a Chief Minister from the Scheduled caste community. A new history was created, he said. He also questioned the BJP on whether they had a single Chief Minister from the community. "If the Congress has made a move, what is their problem?" he asked the BJP. He also made a jibe at the BJP over the change of Chief Ministers in the BJP-ruled states of Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Karnataka.