Rubbishing all rumours that he is in the race for the chief minister chair, former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar clarified that he is out of ‘active politics’ but will continue to remain a part of the Congress party. Jakhar was visiting Rahul Gandhi ahead of the party’s announcement of the CM’s face for the upcoming polls.
Jakhar also told reporters, “I am not contesting any election and do not care, who is being chosen as the CM face. I am here to support Rahul Gandhi on whatever decision he takes.” The clarification comes after AAP MLA and senior journalist Kanwar Sandhu on Sunday noon tweeted that former state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar has quit politics. “A lot of unfortunate news emanating out of Punjab. Just heard that @sunilkjakhar is calling it quits due to unwarranted, irresponsible comments of his @INCPunjab colleagues. Sad to see a gentlemen politician go out at a crucial juncture.#PunjabElection2022,” Sandhu tweeted.
He added, “Being a journalist known @sunilkjakhar, the gentleman and a friend for long. Hope he will revisit his decision to quit active politics, and regale us with his witty one-liners and we will also continue to get the benefit of his poetic wisdom.#punjabassemblyelection2022.”
Being a journalist known @sunilkjakhar, the gentleman and a friend for long. Hope he will revisit his decision to quit active politics, and regale us with his witty one liners and we will also continue to get benefit of his poetic wisdom.#punjabassemblyelection2022— Kanwar Sandhu (@SandhuKanwar) February 6, 2022
A lot of unfortunate news emanating out of Punjab. Just heard that @sunilkjakhar is calling it quits due to unwarranted, irresponsible comments of his @INCPunjab colleagues. Sad to see a gentlemen politician go out at a crucial juncture.#PunjabElection2022— Kanwar Sandhu (@SandhuKanwar) February 6, 2022
Jakhar as chief ministerial probable
Former chief Jakhar recently said that he is not in the race to be the party’s CM face. Post Capt Amarinder Singh’s resignation, Jakhar was among the frontrunners to be Punjab CM. However, the post went to Channi- state’s first CM from the Dalit community. A similar claim was made by Jakhar recently at a campaigning meeting for his nephew, Sandeep, at Abohar, where he said he was party legislators’ first choice for the post of chief minister after Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down in September last year. “I was the first choice of the MLAs. As many as 42 MLAs had voted for me, 16, for now, deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, 12 for MP Preneet Kaur, 6 for Navjot Singh Sidhu and only 2 for CM Charanjit Singh Channi,” he said.
Jakhar who was ousted said that he was upset because he was rejected for being a Hindu. After Channi’s appointment, Jakhar, who has been taking swipes at not only the former chief minister, but even at the present government once in a while through his cryptic tweets, had made it amply clear that he was not happy with the decisions taken by the party high command in Delhi or at the local level.
Senior leaders, however, said that given Punjab’s demographic, the preferred option was a Jat Sikh. “Channi was chosen by the high command as the party wanted to play the Dalit card. At that time, he was seen as the safest choice,” said a senior Punjab Congress leader.
The 67-year-old politician has been consecutively elected thrice from the Abohar constituency from 2002 to 2017. He was elected from Gurdaspur, Punjab to the Lok Sabha the Lower House of Parliament in a by-election.
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