The Congress’s Punjab fire seems to have rekindled, weeks after the central leadership (read Gandhis) appeared to have put it out by negotiating a peace pact between Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and now PCC chief Navjot Sidhu. Singh met Congress chief  Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday and, according to reports, complained that Sidhu’s continued attacks on his government were doing immense damage to the party with months to go for assembly elections.

The Chief Minister was referring to Sidhu’s recent statement attacking the state government over its alleged inaction against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia and others, allegedly involved in the 2018 drug trafficking case.

“Punishing the culprits behind the drug trade is the Congress’s priority under the 18-Point Agenda. What is the action taken on Majithia? If further delayed, we will bring a resolution in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha for making the reports public,” Sidhu tweeted on Monday. Sidhu also attacked the government, without naming Singh, over its alleged inability to tackle the drug problem.

This was Singh’s first meeting with Sonia Gandhi after the appointment of Navjot Singh Sidhu as Punjab Congress chief, a decision that the Chief Minister had grudgingly accepted. In a couple of public appearances together, Singh and Sidhu have tried to put up a show of unity but the chill persists.

After the meeting, Congress’s Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat said, “The Congress president has advised that both the state government and the Congress unit in Punjab have to work together.” Both Singh and Sidhu have to work together within their limits and should cooperate with each other, he said, adding that the Punjab chief minister is not “upset” with Sidhu and has not stated so, reports PTI.

It was also reported that Singh discussed a possible Cabinet reshuffle in the state. All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat was present at the meeting.

Sources said Amarinder Singh gave an account of the action taken by the state government on the 18 issues raised by the AICC panel headed by senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge. These issues include taking action against the drug mafia and transport mafia and those involved in the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in the state.