Amarinder Singh says Punjab ministers will lose cabinet berth if they fail to win in respective Lok Sabha seats

Chandigarh: Congress ministers in Punjab will be dropped from the cabinet if they fail to ensure victory of party candidates in their constituencies during the Lok Sabha election, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Wednesday. Besides, legislators will not be given tickets in the next assembly polls if they are unable to ensure victory of party candidates in their constituencies, he said. The warning came despite the ruling party exuding confidence that it would win all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. [caption id=“attachment_5499881” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh. AFP[/caption] The Congress has decided to push the bar of performance for its leaders by fixing the responsibility for the victory of the candidates in Punjab on the ministers and MLAs of the ruling party, Singh said. The decision has been taken by the Congress high command, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, to accelerate the momentum for achieving the party’s ‘Mission 13’ in the ongoing Lok Sabha election, the chief minister said in a statement here. As per the high command’s decision, incumbent ministers in Punjab who do not succeed in ensuring a victory for the Congress, especially from the constituencies they represent, will be dropped from the cabinet. In case of Congress MLAs, it has been decided that those who fail to perform in their constituencies will not be considered for tickets in the next assembly election. The party has also made the criteria for allotment of chairmanships of various board more stringent. Toughening its stance, the Congress has decided that such chairmanships will be allotted on the basis of the performance of individuals in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Performance and not seniority will be the criteria determining their eligibility for boards and corporations, Singh said. The chief minister said the objective behind these decisions was to promote a performance-based culture in the party.