JOIN USAccept decision to appoint Navjot Sidhu as new state Congress president: Ashwani Kumar
Senior Congress leader and former law minister Ashwani Kumar on Sunday urged party leaders in Punjab to gracefully accept decision of the Congress high command to appoint Navjot Singh Sidhu as the new state party president and stressed on maintaining unity while fighting the upcoming assembly polls.
The former Rajya Sabha member from Punjab said the Congress leadership's decision should now be accepted by all in the interest of party unity.
"This is a time to be united. There are no victors or losers. Reconciliation is the way forward. All Congress persons will, hopefully, have a role to play in fighting an ideological battle," he said in a statement.
His remarks come amid factionalism in the Punjab unit and a series of meetings by various factions ahead of the party's revamp.
The chief minister and the incoming PPCC chief will need to pull together, and for this purpose magnanimity is expected on both sides, Kumar said.
"It is necessary to ensure that no one feels diminished. Sometimes, and in a complex political situation, perfect solutions are impossible. We know that in politics a person is as important as the purpose one serves," he said.
"The voice of the silent majority that defines the conscience of the party is in favour of unity and should be heeded," the former law minister also said.
Sidhu emerged as the frontrunner for the post of PPCC chief but the chief minister was opposed to the move and a flurry of political activity was on to prevent him from becoming the new party chief, sources said.