Congress is neither able to play role of opposition or resolve internal discord: Narendra Singh Tomar

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 2 (ANI): Taking a swipe at the Congress over the ongoing crisis in its Punjab and Chhattisgarh units, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday said the party is neither able to play the role of the opposition properly nor is it able to resolve the internal discord.

"The leadership of Congress has become irrelevant. Congress party is neither able to play the role of the opposition properly nor is it able to resolve the discord within the party," Tomar told mediapersons here.

He furder exuded confidence of BJP winning all the three assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh bypolls.

"BJP will win all the seats," added the union minister.

Bypolls will be held for three assembly constituencies including Jobat in Alirajpur district, Prithvipur in Niwari district and Raigaon in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. Further, bypolls will also be held for Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh.

Tomar's remarks came against the backdrop of ongoing turmoil in Punjab as well as Chhattisgarh units of Congress.

In Punjab, Navjot Singh Sidhu had tendered his resignation as Punjab Congress chief on September 28. He was reportedly upset over the bureaucratic setup and his commands not being followed after Cabinet expansion in Punjab. A minister and three Congress leaders, considered close to him, stepped down from their posts.

This comes as a big blow to the Congress that was hoping to resolve the turmoil in the Congress unit of Punjab ahead of the Assembly elections early next year.

Charanjeet Singh Channi took oath as the 16th Chief Minister of Punjab on September 20, days after Captain Amarinder Singh stepped down from the post of Punjab Chief Minister following months of infighting between him and Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Amarinder Singh had resigned as Chief Minister on September 18 and had told the media that the Congress leadership had let him down. He had also taken a dig at Sidhu over his resignation, saying he is not a stable man.

Sidhu was made PCC chief by Congress leadership in July to stem infighting in Punjab Congress ahead of next year's assembly polls but the party is now grappling with a fresh crisis.

Now moving to Chhattisgarh, state health minister TS Singh Deo has been demanding a change of guard in the state. After the Bhupesh Baghel-led government completed two-and-a-half years in office in June, the supporters of TS Singh Deo raised the issue of rotational chief ministership.

On the other hand, more than a dozen Congress MLAs are now camping in Delhi to extend their support to current Chief Minister Bupesh Baghel to continue to his post. Congress won the assembly polls held in December 2018 with a thumping majority. (ANI)