Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said he hopes Captain Amarinder Singh keeps working in the interest of the party following his resignation from the top post in the Punjab government.  

Ashok Gehlot, in a tweet, also said that the 79-year-old is a respected leader of the party and hopes he will not take any step that will harm the Congress. 

He urged the public and leaders to think in the interest of the party, unlike high command that only takes decisions based on feedback from MLAs and the public. 

“The high command sometimes has to take decisions in the interest of the party on the basis of feedback received from legislators and the general public. I also personally believe that the Congress president chooses the Chief Minister only after hearing many leaders,” Gehlot said.

“In such times, the responsibility of all Congress leaders increases in the interest of the country. We have to rise above ourselves and think in the interest of the party and the country,” the Rajasthan Chief Minister added.

This comes after Amarinder Singh said he had been “humiliated thrice” and that the party is free to “appoint whoever they trust”. “There is always an option, and I will use that option when the time comes… at the moment I am still in Congress,” Amarinder Singh said.

Amarinder Singh’s resignation ahead of the assembly election in Punjab will reportedly put pressure on the new CM to cover ground once they take office.

Amarinder Singh has expressed his disappointment with Navjot Singh Sidhu and ruled him out as his successor, putting the onus on Congress to elect whoever they trust. “Navjot Singh Sidhu is an incompetent man. He was a total disaster in my government. He couldn’t run one ministry I gave him. He did not clear files for seven months,” the former Chief Minister told NDTV on Saturday.