Chandigarh, April 24: 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, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced on Wednesday. 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 Mission13 in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Captain Amarinder disclosed.

As per the high command’s decision, incumbent ministers in Punjab who do not succeed in ensuring a victory for the Congress, specially from the constituencies they represent, will be dropped from the cabinet. In the 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 elections.

The party has also made the criteria for allotment of chairmanships of various Board etc 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, said Captain Amarinder.

The objective behind these decisions, said the Chief Minister, was to promote a performance-based culture in the party. Rahul was in favour of rewarding those party leaders and workers who make a difference on the ground, he said, adding that the Congress president wanted to bridge the gap between the people and the party through its elected representatives.