Editor's Pick: Captain says leaving Congress amid gathering storm

Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh made it clear on Thursday that he will leave the Congress Party as he felt “humiliated” by the leadership that replaced him with Charanjeet Singh Channi. He more or less ruled out joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well despite his much-talked about meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Thursday. “I will resign…will not stay in the party,” he said in a statement, and that he was still thinking through his options in the interest of Punjab and its security. “I will not be treated in this humiliating manner… I will not take such insults,” the statement quoted him as saying, adding that his “principles and beliefs do not allow him to stay in the Congress.” Amid the gathering storm and a day after the Congress’s group of 23 (G-23) demanded a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told The Hindu that a CWC meeting will be called “very soon”, without specifying a date. Following the crisis in Punjab, senior Congress leader and a member of the G-23, Kapil Sibal, had asked, “Who is taking decisions in our party as we don’t have a president?” His colleague and former Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad wrote a fresh letter to Sonia Gandhi demanding the CWC to debate the turmoil within and desertions from the Congress. The divide between the G-23 and loyalists of the Gandhi family played out on social media on Thursday with several G-23 leaders targeting the party leadership for the hooliganism outside Mr. Sibal’s residence. Meanwhile, Navjot Singh Sidhu who quit as State Congress chief met Chief Minister Channi to iron out differences. A consensus was reportedly reached to set up a panel to serve as a link between the party and the government. Captain Amarinder Singh, however, asserted that “Sidhu is not the right man to lead Punjab and if he contests, I will not let him win.” The Congress party is gripped by an unprecedented crisis after its Punjab strategy has gone haywire. According to The Hindu editorial, “Captain Amarinder, now bruised and humiliated, is vengeful and appears willing to do anything to derail the Congress’s prospects in next year’s Assembly election. He could join hands with the BJP or explore other options.” And while Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s impatience with the party old guard is understandable and even justified to a great extent, says the editorial, what he lacks is a coherent strategy and transparent plan to revamp the party. The crisis in the Congress as it tries to put its house in order after the Punjab unravelling makes it the top story of the day. The Hindu Editorials Gathering storm: On the Congress crisis Failing on food: on child malnutrition and mid-day meals Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. Click here Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Geologist Najla Bouden was named the first female prime minister of which country? 1. Israel 2. Tunisia 3. Argentina 4. Norway To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 01 OCTOBER 2021 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Captain says leaving Congress amid gathering storm [Captain says leaving Congress amid gathering storm] Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh made it clear on Thursday that he will [leave the Congress Party]( as he felt “humiliated” by the leadership that replaced him with Charanjeet Singh Channi. He more or less ruled out joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well despite his much-talked about meetings with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Thursday. “I will resign…will not stay in the party,” he said in a statement, and that he was still thinking through his options in the interest of Punjab and its security. “I will not be treated in this humiliating manner… I will not take such insults,” the statement quoted him as saying, adding that his “principles and beliefs do not allow him to stay in the Congress.”  Amid the gathering storm and a day after the Congress’s group of 23 (G-23) demanded a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told The Hindu that a[CWC meeting will be called “very soon”, without specifying a date](. Following the crisis in Punjab, senior Congress leader and a member of the G-23, Kapil Sibal, had asked, “Who is taking decisions in our party as we don’t have a president?” His colleague and former Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad wrote a fresh letter to Sonia Gandhi demanding the CWC to debate the turmoil within and desertions from the Congress. The divide between the G-23 and loyalists of the Gandhi family played out on social media on Thursday with several G-23 leaders targeting the party leadership for the hooliganism outside Mr. Sibal’s residence. Meanwhile, Navjot Singh Sidhu who quit as State Congress chief met Chief Minister Channi to iron out differences. A consensus was reportedly reached to [set up a panel]( serve as a link between the party and the government. Captain Amarinder Singh, however, asserted that “Sidhu is not the right man to lead Punjab and if he contests, I will not let him win.”  The Congress party is gripped by an unprecedented crisis after its Punjab strategy has gone haywire. According to The Hindu [editorial]( “Captain Amarinder, now bruised and humiliated, is vengeful and appears willing to do anything to derail the Congress’s prospects in next year’s Assembly election. He could join hands with the BJP or explore other options.” And while Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s impatience with the party old guard is understandable and even justified to a great extent, says the editorial, what he lacks is a coherent strategy and transparent plan to revamp the party. The crisis in the Congress as it tries to put its house in order after the Punjab unravelling makes it the top story of the day. The Hindu Editorials [Arrow][Gathering storm: On the Congress crisis]( [Arrow][Failing on food: on child malnutrition and mid-day meals]( [underlineimg] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Geologist Najla Bouden was named the first female prime minister of which country? 1. Israel 2. Tunisia 3. Argentina 4. Norway To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here](. Today's Best Reads [[At the Quad, forming habits of cooperation] At the Quad, forming habits of cooperation]( [[A State, a ‘clean sweep’ and the art of sanitation] A State, a ‘clean sweep’ and the art of sanitation]( [[Should universities avoid teaching controversial texts?] Should universities avoid teaching controversial texts?]( [[Bhabanipur bypoll sees low voter turnout] Bhabanipur bypoll sees low voter turnout]( Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](