Pargat welcome in Cong: Amarinder

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today queered the political pitch in Punjab by saying that former Indian hockey team captain Pargat Singh was welcome to join the party.
Pargat Singh, an MLA from Jalandhar East, was suspended by the Akali Dal yesterday for indiscipline and has said he would join AAP.
"Pargat Singh is welcome into the Congress fold. I have already said Navjot Singh Sidhu is also welcome to join us if he wants. Pargat Singh is not just a phenomenal sportsperson, he was my Director Sports in Punjab when I was the chief minister in the state. We have worked together," he said a day after he said Sidhu was welcome to join Congress.

Navjot Sidhu had resigned as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha three days ago.
Amarinder is now wooing both Sidhu and Pargat though he said today that the Congress had not engaged the two formally.
"We have not opened formal communication channels with either Sidhu or Pargat Singh. But I am sure Sidhu and Pargat's friends in the Congress are speaking to them. Sidhu is from Patiala and Pargat from Jalandhar.

"We cannot engage with them till we know their status. Sidhu has only resigned from RS and not from the BJP yet. Pargat Singh has been suspended by the Akali Dal. They have to first make their status clear," he said after attending a meeting on Punjab poll strategy at the residence of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.

The strategy meet was attended by Singh, Punjab in charge of Congress Asha Kumari, Ambika Soni, Congress campaign committee chairperson for the state, CLP leader Charanjit Channi and Congress Party's election strategist for Punjab Prashant Kishor.
The meeting examined the progress of Congress' ongoing campaigns in Punjab, such as 'Coffee with Capt', 'Halke wich Capt' and others, and decided to hold another meeting in Chandigarh on July 23 to design future canvassing programme and chalk out a blueprint of its poll campaign.
The party plans to make its campaign more aggressive now. Amarinder said the ongoing Congress Party's campaign programme of 45 days in Punjab is ending on August 8 and a new has to be launched thereafter.

Meanwhile, Congress has also decided to speed up ticket distribution process ahead of 2017 elections with Amarinder saying today, "We have asked aspirants to submit applications by August 15 after which the names will be screened. The idea is to have candidates in place at least four months before elections, he said.