PUNJAB CM ACCEPTS RANA GURJIT’S RESIGNATION

PUNJAB CM ACCEPTS RANA GURJIT’S RESIGNATION

SAYS PUNJAB CONG RESTRUCTURING & CABINET EXPANSION SOON

Nabaz-e-Punjab Bureau, New Delhi, January 18:
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has accepted the resignation of Power and Irrigation Minister Rana Gurjit Singh from the Council of Ministers.
The Chief Minister disclosed this during a brief interaction with mediapersons after meeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi here on Thursday.
Captain Amarinder said he had discussed the issue of the resignation, which the minister had submitted 10 days ago, with Rahul Gandhi and then decided to accept the same. The Chief Minister said he would be now be forwarding Rana Gurjit’s resignation to the Governor for the necessary formalities.
In his resignation, Rana Gurjit had said that though he had not been associated with his family business for the past 10 years, the controversy surrounding it in recent months had left him with no option but to tender his resignation in the interest of his party. He did not want the issue to mar the good work done by the Congress government in Punjab and had, in the bigger interest of his party and government, chosen to step down, he said.
To another question, the Chief Minister said he had also discussed with Rahul Gandhi the issue of reorganisation of the Punjab unit of the Congress. The party restructuring, especially in the context of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, would take place soon, he added.
Captain Amarinder further said the expansion of his cabinet would take place after the Ludhiana MC polls. As in the past, the new appointments would be a mix of youth and talent, with meritocracy the key criteria in the selection of the new ministers, he told mediapersons.