Congratulations to Bhagwant Mann, jab at Channi: Manish Tewari's 2-in-1 tweet

Earlier, Tewari, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Punjab's Anandpur Sahib, exchanged sharp words with Charanjit Singh Channi last month after his controversial 'bhaiya' remarks against migrants entering Punjab.

Congress leader Manish Tewari on Wednesday took a dig at colleague and outgoing Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, pointing out he had been invited to his successor Bhagwant Mann's swearing-in ceremony but had not recieved an invitation to Channi's. Tewari tweeted congratulations to Mann and thanked him and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) - which routed the Congress in last month's election - for inviting him to the ceremony.

Tewari tweeted congratulations to Mann and thanked him and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) - which routed the Congress in last month's election - for inviting him to the ceremony.(File photo)

"I congratulate Bhagwant Mann on being sworn in as chief minister. I thank him for inviting me to his swearing-in. Due to Parliament being in session I will not be able to make it. It is ironic I was not invited to Charanjit Singh Channi's swearing-in though he was one of my MLA’s," Tewari tweeted.

Tewari, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Punjab's Anandpur Sahib, exchanged sharp words with Channi last month after his controversial 'bhaiya' remarks against migrants entering Punjab.

"De-horse Politics - The 'bhaiya' controversy is like the Black issue in the US. It is reflective of an unfortunate systemic and institutionalised social bias against migrants stretching back to the inception of the Green Revolution," Tewari tweeted in February.

He stressed that such thoughts could have no place in the secular ethos of Punjab.

The Congress' spectacularly poor performance in Punjab - it won just 18 of 117 seats after having claimed 77 in the last election - has been red-flagged by senior leaders, including Sunil Jakhar, who held Channi and former state boss Navjot Sidhu responsible.

Jakhar ripped into Channi, calling him a 'liability' and declaring that his 'greed' had led to the Congress' defeat. Punjab was one of a handful of states in which the Congress was in power.

Channi contested two seats in the election - Chamkaur Sahib and Bhadaur - and lost both to AAP candidates. Sidhu lost from his seat of Amritsar (East).

Earlier today Sidhu stepped down from his post - a day after under-pressure Congress chief Sonia Gandhi called on the party heads of all five states that voted last month - Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, and Uttarakhand - to resign.