Punjab’s new chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Congress state president Navjot Singh Sidhu today reached Delhi in a private chartered flight drawing much criticism from the Opposition for the ruling Congress. Sharing the photo which shows the leaders standing in front of the aircraft, Sidhu captioned it, “In line of duty!!” Accompanying Sidhu were also two new deputy Chief Ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni, besides Channi who also boarded the flight to Delhi.

Notably, Sidhu and Channi had come to Delhi to discuss the expansion of the new Cabinet with the party’s central leadership.

However, the show-off did not go well with the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal taking a swipe at the ruling Congress. “After saying that they stand with the common man, INC leaders take private jets to travel just 250 KMs from Chandigarh to Delhi. Are there no normal flights or cars that can be used? Or is this chest thumping aimed at propagation of Gandhi family’s Delhi Darbar culture?” it said on Twitter.

Channi, Randhawa and Soni were sworn in yesterday, two days after Amarinder Singh resigned as chief minister of the state. While Channi hails from a Dalit community, Randhawa is a Jat Sikh and Soni is a Hindu.

There are indications that those who rallied behind Navjot Sidhu in the power tussle with Amarinder Singh will find a place in the new cabinet. The names of Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Madan Lal Jalalpur, Inderbir Singh Bolaria, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Pargat Singh and Sangat Singh Gilzian are doing the rounds.

AAP MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan also took a dig at the Congress over cabinet expansion. “Many Congress MLAs have severe corruption charges on them and if they are chosen for Cabinet then it will reveal the false intentions of Channi. Changing the ‘Alibaba’ will not solve the matter, his ’40 Chors’ also need to be changed,” he said.

Punjab will go to assembly polls early next year.

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