NEW DELHI: Ahead of the scheduled Screening Committee meeting later in the day to discuss candidates for upcoming Punjab assembly elections, four state ministers on Tuesday met Congress General Secretary (Organisations) KC Venugopal to discuss the election strategy in the state.
Punjab Home Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Pargat Singh and two other ministers were also present.
After the meeting Randhawa said, “We are here for discussions with party high command. Such meetings will keep happening, especially in view of elections. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss several issues regarding elections and party’s strategy.”
This even as they kept Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu out kf this key meet. Sidhu was in Punjab.
Sidhu and Randhawa have locked horns over the delay in arrest of former Punjab minister Bikram Majithia and distribution of Home portfolio to Dera Baba Nanak MLA.
To a question about Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s remarks that Punjab government does not have the courage to arrest Bikram Majithia, Randhawa said, “Kejriwal had apologised to Majithia unconditionally but we have filed an FIR. Currently, he is on the run and we will arrest him soon.”
When asked about if there were discussions on the tickets, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “We did not discuss anything about tickets as that is something on which the screening committee will take a call.”
He further stated that he is not in the Screening Committee and he has nothing to do with the tickets.
To a question about who will be party’s face in the state, Randhawa quipped that Congress party is the face in elections.
The Screening Committee meeting for Punjab is scheduled on Tuesday evening at party’s war room in Delhi.
The Screening Committee had met earlier last month and also finalised 40 our of 117 candidates for the upcoming elections.