Call on Sidhu’s resignation today, says Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

Sidhu had on Sunday made public a June 10 letter he had sent to the AICC president resigning from the Punjab cabinet. On Monday, he took to social media to inform that he has sent his resignation to the chief minister and that it has been delivered.

The former cricketer resigned from the cabinet following a long stalemate with the CM, who in a Cabinet rejig on June 6 had stripped him of local government and tourism portfolios while giving him power department. Sidhu, however, did not assume charge of the new department.

Meanwhile, asked if Punjab was setting up atomic energy units in Bathinda and Ropar power plants, Amarinder said he was yet to receive any proposal from the central government.

“Talks on the subject of using atomic energy for power production had been going on for a long time but there is nothing concrete yet on the table,” he said after meeting Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan in Delhi.

“At the moment, I do not even have a power minister,” Singh quipped, in an apparent reference to Sidhu’s resignation.

Amamrinder has been personally monitoring the power department’s functioning on a day to day basis, in view of the ongoing paddy season, which requires continuous power. The state has been witnessing unprecedented peak demand of power in view of the erratic monsoon, leading to shortfall in rains in some areas.

The Chief Minister has been personally monitoring the Power department functioning on a day to day basis, in view of the ongoing Paddy season, which requires continuous Power. The state has been witnessing unprecedented peak demand of Power in view of the erratic monsoon, leading to shortfall in rains in some areas.

In response to another question, the Chief Minister said he had never had any problems working with the Centre. Cordial relations between the central and state governments were important in a federal structure, and he had no issues dealing with any government at the Centre in the interest of Punjab, he added.

Amarinder also held a meeting with party MPs from Punjab in the central hall of Parliament. “Met the Congress MPs from Punjab in the Parliament today. Happy to see they are consistently raising issues of importance that concern Punjab and Punjabis,” he tweeted.

All Punjab MPs — Preneet Kaur, Manish Tewari, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Jasbir Singh Gill, Santokh Singh Chaudhary, Mohammad Sadique and Amar Singh were present so was AICC in-charge for the party’s state unit Asha Kumari.