After his appointment as the Punjab Congress president, Pargat Singh on Saturday thanked the party leadership for entrusting him with the responsibility and said he will work with dedication to strengthen the party and serve people in the state.The Congress appointed Singh as the president of the Punjab PCC on Friday after Amrinder Singh Raja Warring submitted his resignation.“I sincerely thank Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal, Punjab Congress in-charge Sachin Pilot and all senior Congress leaders for entrusting me with the responsibility of president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee,” Singh said in a post on X.“I will work with complete dedication and commitment to strengthen Congress in Punjab and serve the people of our state,” he added.Singh, 61, is a former Indian Hockey captain who led the Indian team in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.He made his entry into the political arena with the Shiromani Akali Dal, but later switched to the Congress.He is a three-time MLA from Jalandhar Cantt and a former Cabinet minister.The party high command replaced Warring following weeks of internal rift over the state leadership that has threatened to hurt the party’s campaign for the crucial assembly elections due early next year.Several Congress leaders from the party’s state unit congratulated him on being entrusted with the responsibility, which comes a few months before the state goes to polls.In Jalandhar, Pargat Singh’s wife Barinder Preet Kaur told reporters on Friday night that his party has entrusted him with a big responsibility.She said Pargat comes from a sports background and whatever he has done in life has been with great determination, and it has always been his endeavour to take everyone along.She said people of Punjab are waiting for ‘badlav’ (change) and they will bring Congress to power in the forthcoming assembly elections.