Captain Amarinder returns as PPCC chief

Saturday, 28/11/2015

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Chandigarh : Former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday was appointed the new Punjab Congress president, replacing Partap Singh Bajwa, whose resignation was accepted by the party president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday. Former Chief Minister said that his top most priority will be to restore the faith and confidence of people in the political leadership which they have lost due to the alleged failed governance provided them. He asserted that the beginning had already been made from Bihar where the Congress made impressive gains and Punjab was set to create a new record of the Congress victory in electoral history of the country. “People of Punjab are disillusioned and had lost all hope and were looking up to the Congress to come back,” he said

Referring to the youth in particular, Capt Amarinder promised to usher in a new era of hope and prosperity. Soon after his elevation Captain Amarinder, who had earlier served the party in same capacity before anointed as the chief minister in 2002, said that he would take everybody along and the Congress would fight the elections with complete unity and full strength. Thanking the party supremo Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for reposing faith in him, he said will meet their expectations. “I am overwhelmed and I am grateful to both the Congress president and vice president for having chosen me. It is a sensitive task,” Amarinder said.

He said that he had been the PCC chief twice but after having lost twice he said: “It is a challenge. It is a question of consolidating and building on.” He said he will put a team in place soon and carry out an intensive contact with people in the state, especially targeting the youth which comprise of 40 per cent of the population. “Hopefully soon. We will make our plans and move. The full team will be in place and the programme will be put in place in the next 10 days or so,” he said, adding that there is no dissension within the party.

Ambika to lead Campaign Committee for 2017 polls
Chandigarh: Former Union Minister Ambika Soni has been appointed the chairperson of its Campaign Committee for the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections. Also, former minister Lal Singh, a prominent OBC face in the state, will be the new senior vice president of the state unit while Dalit leader Sadhu Singh Dharamsot will be the vice chairman of the Campaign Committee. Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, the grandson of former state chief minister Beant Singh, has been appointed the convener of the Campaign Committee. “No decision has been so far taken on the appointment of CLP leader as the CLP leader is chosen by MLAs, which will be done in days to come,” said a senior AICC leader.DP