New Delhi: It is probably for the first time after the defeat of the Congress in Punjab that the party’s interim president Sonai Gandhi has admitted that it was the mistake of the party of not taking timely action against Former CM, Amarinder Singh when discontent in the party growing against him in Punjab.

According to sources, Sonia apparently admitted the mistake during the CMC meeting held in Delhi. “ When the voices were growing against Singh, the party ignored it”, she said.

It may be noted that after the debacle in five States in the recently held assembly polls, the party leaders held several meetings to introspect and assess the reasons for the defeat.

In the five state elections, leave alone the party clinching any state from the ruling BJP, it even lost in Punjab, one of the three states in the country where the party is ruling.

The sources said that when one of the senior leaders of the party, during the meeting, inquired about the timing of the removal of Singh from the post of CM, Sonai Gandhi said that it is she who has to be blamed as they protected Singh. Other leaders opined that Singh should have been removed long ago from the post.

It may be noted that a slugfest continued between Singh and Punjab State president of the Congress, Navjot Singh Sidhu over the control of the party in the State, the party finally decided to show the exit doors to Singh.

This happened when the election in the State was scheduled to be held in just five months.

Accusing the Congress of insulting him, Singh decided to float his own regional party and joined hands with the BJP to fight against the Congress.

The BJP which was also desperately seeking an alliance in  Punjab after severing decades-old ties with Akali Dal of the Badal family grabbed the opportunity and joined hands with Singh’s newly floated party.

 But none of the efforts of either Singh or BJP yielded results as all the regional and national parties had to bite the dust before the rousing victory of AAP in Punjab.