The Congress high command in Delhi may well be on the verge of announcing its truce formula to resolve the ongoing tussle between Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu, but signs of resentment between the two camps persists in Punjab.
Sources in the Punjab Congress say the chief minister is "angry" over reports that the party high command is all set to appoint Sidhu as Punjab Congress' new president. He has reportedly also conveyed his views about the matter to the party's top leadership, sources said.
Besides appointing Sidhu as Punjab Congress chief, the high command is also likely to appoint two working presidents for its Punjab unit to balance caste and community equations. One of these working presidents is likely to be a Dalit leader while the other would be a Hindu.
On Thursday, Captain Amarinder Singh called an emergency meeting with his loyal MLAs, ministers and MPs at his farmhouse in Siswan near Mohali. This meeting came soon after Navjot Singh Sidhu held a similar meeting with his loyalists. Sources say this meeting was attended by five ministers and about 10 MLAs.
In Chandigarh, close associates of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh avoided media queries about developments in Punjab Congress. The few who spoke gave conflicting answers.
Cabinet minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, one of Captain's close aides, said he (Captain) will abide by the party high command's decision.
"Not only Navjot Singh Sidhu, but I will salute anyone, including a common party worker who moves on a bicycle if he is made the Punjab Congress chief," he said.
Another of Captain's supporters Congress MLA from Jalandhar (central) Rajinder Beri, said, "Anything can happen anytime. Captain Amrinder Singh at the moment is our leader but we will also respect the decision made by the party high command."
Amid the hardening of positions by both camps, Congress in-charge for Punjab Harish Rawat met with party president Sonia Gandhi at 10 Janpath on Thursday evening. The meeting lasted for half an hour.
Rawat later told reporters that the meeting was about Uttrakhand and had nothing to do with Punjab.
Interestingly, just a week ago, the Punjab CM after meeting Sonia Gandhi had announced that he would welcome any political decision by the party to resolve the crisis in the state unit.
Meanwhile, hearing reports of announcement of a truce, some of Navjot Singh Sidhu's supporters carrying boxes of sweets reached at his Patiala residence on Thursday afternoon to congratulate him. However, Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu asked them to wait for a formal announcement by the party high command.
(With inputs from agencies)