Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday congratulated Pargat Singh on being appointed president of the Punjab Congress, referring to the former hockey player as “Captain Sahib” and drawing on his sporting background while speaking about the new Congress chief.
Responding to questions from reporters about Singh’s appointment, Mann said he had congratulated him and noted that he also addressed Singh as “Captain Sahib” in the Punjab Assembly.
“I want to congratulate him. I call him ‘Captain Sahib’ in the Punjab Assembly as well. He has been the captain of our hockey team, and I am a hockey fan,” Mann said.
In a lighter vein, the chief minister said he hoped Singh’s “players” would support him. “If you don’t get the pass, you cannot score a goal,” Mann said, in a reference to Singh’s hockey background.
Singh, after taking charge as Punjab Congress president on Saturday, had also invoked his hockey career while speaking about his approach to leading the party. He said he would take everyone along and recalled that he had generally played as a full-back, staying behind while relying on his teammates. He said the party had several good players, referring to Congress leaders in Punjab.
The Congress appointed Singh as the president of its Punjab unit on Friday after Amarinder Singh Raja Warring resigned from the post.
The leadership change came amid several weeks of reported differences within the Punjab Congress. The internal disagreements had raised concerns about their potential impact on the party’s preparations for the crucial assembly elections scheduled for early next year.
