Will take everyone along, says new Punjab Congress chief

Amrinder Singh Brar, the new chief of the Punjab Congress, promised to take every party leader and worker along to strengthen the organisation in the state, where the faction-ridden party was ousted from power in the recently held Assembly polls.

New Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the state, Partap Singh Bajwa, said he will fight tooth and nail for the rights of Punjab and its public.

Former Punjab minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who has been appointed as the working president of the state Congress, and Deputy CLP leader Raj Kumar Chabbewal too said the entire state unit will work as a team.

Amrinder Singh Brar, also called Raja Warring, was appointed the party's new Punjab chief in place of Navjot Singh Sidhu by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Warring, who was the transport minister in the last Congress government, won the Assembly elections from the Gidderbaha constituency.

Read | Amarinder Singh Brar appointed Punjab Congress chief

Sidhu was asked to tender his resignation after the party's debacle in the elections.

Bajwa, a former Rajya Sabha MP, was elected as an MLA from the Qadian Assembly constituency.

"I promise to work alongside every worker & leader of the party to strengthen the party & carry forward the ideology," Warring said in a tweet after his appointment as the Punjab Congress president.

"I am grateful to Hon'ble Congress President Smt Sonia Gandhi ji & Shri @RahulGandhi ji for bestowing upon me the responsibility of President of @INCPunjab," tweeted Warring.

In his tweet, Bajwa thanked Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for his appointment as the legislature party leader.

"I will fight tooth & nail for rights of Punjab and its public," he said.

Responding to a congratulatory message from Warring, Bajwa said he is looking forward to working together as a team and strengthen the party.

Both Ashu and Chabbewal said that the entire state unit will work as a team to further strengthen the party.

Chabbewal tweeted,"l will become the voice of my Punjabis in Assembly! Greatly honoured, my sincere thanks to @INCIndia for conferring upon me responsibility of Dy. CLP! I assure to perform my duty with due diligence & commitment".

Congratulating Warring, Bajwa and Ashu, he said, "…sure of a great team work and hopeful to exceed the expectations of our people of Punjab and strengthen our party."

Ashu thanked the party high command, said, "Let's everyone in the organisation pledge to work together to strengthen the party".

Former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu also congratulated the new team.

"Congratulations to Raja warring and Bharat Bhushan Ashu … wish them the best always ….Congratulations for Partap Bajwa ji and Chhabewal saheb …. They will be pillars of strength in the Vidhan Sabha for the congress," tweeted Sidhu.

Ahead of the appointments, a section of Punjab Congress leaders had been holding meetings and batting for a key role for Sidhu.

The Congress received a drubbing in the Punjab assembly polls, winning only 18 seats, as the Aam Aadmi Party stormed to power bagging 92 of the 117 Assembly segments.

Sidhu was defeated by AAP candidate and political greenhorn Jeevan Jyot Kaur from Amritsar East.

Following the poll debacle in five states--Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab--Congress president Sonia Gandhi had asked the party's state unit chiefs to put in their papers.

Sidhu, too, had tendered his resignation.

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