Field more youths in 2022, Shergill tells Cong's Punjab panel

New Delhi, June 3 (IANS) Congress leader and spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill on Thursday met the party's Punjab panel, and said that "the ongoing Punjab discussion is not a "crisis management" exercise, but "election preparation" exercise for which he had given suggestions.

Suggestions are being taken to ensure that in 2022, its "Congress Ki Balle Balle baki Sab Thalle Thalle", he said.

Shergill also said that he had told the panel that youth worker of the Congress in Punjab should get maximum opportunity in 2022 polls.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, whose position has strengthened as he has broken away three AAP lawmakers in the state, arrived in Delhi to meet the Punjab panel.

Earlier on Thursday, Anandpur Sahib MP and former Union Minister Manish Tewari, after meeting the panel, said that there is no rift in the state unit of the party.

"There is no fighting in the Congress and the issues discussed with the panel are secret. I have replied whatever they asked and there is no infighting in the Congress, this is routine exercise in the party in the election going states to discuss strategy. This is not the first and the last time it's happening in the party," he said.

The panel for Punjab is trying to resolve issues in the state unit which have arisen after former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu opened front against the Chief Minister.

Disgruntled Congress leader Sidhu, who has targeted the Chief Minister on various issues including the 2015 Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege case, on Tuesday met the Congress panel for Punjab and presented his version.

Interacting with reporters after the meeting, he said: "I came here on the call of the party high command and I have presented people's voices from grassroot level to the party... my stand on democratic power remains the same that the 'power of the people' must return to the people."

"Every Punjabi must be made a shareholder in Punjab's progress... Jittega Punjab, Jittegi Punjabiyat, Jittega har Punjabi," he had said.

On Monday, Congress state chief Sunil Jakhar met the committee constituted by party president Sonia Gandhi and comprising of Mallikarjun Kharge, J.P. Aggarwal and General Secretary in charge of the state Harish Rawat.

Apart from Jakhar, state ministers Sunder Sham Arora, Charanjit Channi, Aruna Chowdhry, Brahm Mohindra, O.P. Soni, Manpreet Badal, Tript Bajwa, Rana Sodhi and Sukhjinder Randhawa also met the panel.