'Hope He Keeps Party Interest in Mind': Ashok Gehlot's Advice for Amarinder as Capt Hangs His Boots

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has requested his Congress colleague and former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to “continue working keeping the interest of the party above all else.”

Taking to Twitter, Gehlot said: “Captain Saheb is a respected leader of the party and I hope that he will continue to work keeping the interests of the party ahead.”

In a tweet on the Congress crisis in Punjab, the chief minister said the party’s high command only takes decisions based on feedback from MLAs and the public, and leaders must think in the interest of the party.

Gehlot’s message to his colleague comes a day after Singh, while resigning as CM, said he had been “humiliated thrice” and that the Congress is free to “appoint whoever they trust”. “There is always an option, and I will use that option when the time comes… at the moment I am still in Congress,” Singh said.

The “options” comment by Singh has led to much speculation on what he would do, with sources saying he has communicated to the top brass that if someone from his camp is not appointed successor, a floor test would be imminent.

“The high command sometimes has to take decisions in the interest of the party on the basis of feedback received from legislators and the general public. I also personally believe that the Congress president chooses the Chief Minister only after hearing many leaders,” Gehlot said. “In such times, the responsibility of all Congress leaders increases in the interest of the country. We have to rise above ourselves and think in the interest of the party and the country,” the Rajasthan Chief Minister said.

Singh’s resignation comes months before assembly elections are due in Punjab. Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar and MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa are possible names for the top post.

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