Commenting at the ABP News’ flagship event ‘Shikhar Sammelan’, Punjab’s new Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi delivered a confident rebuttal against questions being raised on recent organisational changes in the Congress Party’s ranks.

“I’ll fulfill all the tasks and promises made within three months. I work 10-12 hours a day. The Congress never thought of removing Captain Amarinder Singh before. Efforts are on to rectify the shortcomings of our system. Amarinder was not doing anything, so the party removed him,” CM Channi said.

“The first call I received was from Rahul Gandhi ji. He said ‘I trust you, you maintain the trust’. After which I took over as (the) Chief Minister,” he added.

The following are some of the summit’s key highlights:

# Senior Akali Dal leader and general secretary Bikram Singh Majithia said, “Everyone lives in controversies. Today you see any face of politics, all have been in controversies. CM Channi is also surrounded with controversies. Charanjit Channi is not a chosen CM rather a compromised one. The Congress party follows the policy of divide and rule. We want Channi to be allowed to work.”

# Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia launched a sharp attack on the Congress’ Punjab  crisis. Terming it a ‘tamasha’, he said that if the AAP government were formed, it would create a free or subsidised electricity supply regime along with mohalla clinics for the people of Punjab. Sisodia seemed confident about AAP’s chances of winning in Punjab.

# Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, on allegations of collusion with former Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh, said, “Sidhu sahib is plotting to shift attention away from the situation. The rest of the Congress leaders remain silent, and the people of Punjab are silent. Only Sidhu sahib is speaking at the moment. As a result, we are Punjab’s primary opposition party. We’re going after everything. Captain Sahib has been the target of my wrath. The accusations of our collusion with the Captain are only a diversionary tactic.”

# Harish Rawat, former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and Congress Party’s nominee to oversee the Punjab issue, said: “If Amarinder Singh works as a pawn for BJP, then he will have to answer for this. Captain Amarinder did not work according to the timetable he had set. Amarinder Singh resigning was not our decision.”

ABP News’ ‘Shikhar Sammelan’is the first major political conclave to take place in the State of Punjab, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. This summit provided a platform where leaders from all major political parties featured in engaging discussions on issues that were of importance to the State.

The summit in Chandigarh focused on the state’s changing political landscape, recent farmer protests, developmental issues, and the various strategies of political parties for the assembly elections.

Commenting on the significance of the summit, CEO of ABP Network, Avinash Pandey, said, “ABP News has once again taken the lead in providing its viewers with a state of the art platform where leaders and eminent personalities from poll bound state of Punjab express their views on pressing issues. The backdrop of this ‘Shikhar Sammelan’ is in the midst of a charged up political atmosphere in the state where existing equations have been dynamic and the months leading up to the elections promises to throw many unique twists and turns.

“The stimulating debates held during the Sammelan will be crucial in allowing people to make well-informed decisions ahead of the assembly elections. Similarly, it has provided the leaders with the necessary platform to communicate with their voters and strengthen their bonds with them.”