Punjab: Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has said that the state Congress leaders should sit down and talk about the ongoing crisis in the party and added that he has spoken to Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday. A day after the sudden exit of Sidhu as the Punjab Congress chief, CM Channi said that “I have no ego to talk about all the issues and I am willing to sit down with all the leaders for discussions.”

In a major announcement, Punjab Chief Minister CS Channi on Wednesday said that the government will clear the arrears of 53 lakh people who consume 2 kW of electricity in the state. Also, those whose electricity connections were disconnected due to non-payment of dues would be restored without any fee. 75-80 % of consumers come under the 2 KW categories. Their last bill will be taken care of by the Punjab government, Channi declared

Sidhu’s resignation was followed by a flurry of exits by his loyalists, plunging Punjab Congress into fresh crisis months ahead of the assembly elections. This came shortly after the allocation of portfolios to the new ministers in the Charanjit Singh Channi cabinet.  Reports have said Navjot Singh Sidhu, despite being appointed the Punjab Congress chief, may have been upset over the recent appointments of officials and leaders in the state government.