Congress asks state unit to resolve issue in Punjab

New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) The Congress is in a firefighting mode in Punjab.

According to sources in the Congress, the resignation of Navjot Singh Sidhu as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief has not been accepted yet, and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and senior leaders have been asked to sort out the differences.

Congress' Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat and senior leader K.C. Venugopal have been asked to help resolve the issue as the party does not want to open two fronts in the state which goes to the polls next year.

The Congress understands that the Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are closely following the developments in Punjab, while the BJP is seeking an appropriate time to cease the opportunity in the state.

The Congress was anticipating a gala Tuesday with the joining of Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mevani in the party, but it turned out to be damp squib with Sidhu's resignation.

The Congress downplayed the whole episode and did not respond to the question on Sidhu during the joining of the Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mevani.

Unhappy over the first expansion of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's Cabinet, allocation of portfolios and appointments to crucial posts, Sidhu resigned from his post on Tuesday afternoon.

Sidhu, however, maintained that he would not be leaving the party. After his resignation, Cabinet minister Razia Sultana too stepped down in solidarity of Sidhu.