There has been a vertical division in Punjab Congress on the issue of elevating party vice president Rahul Gandhi to the top post with PCC president Partap Singh Bajwa and Congress Deputy leader in lok Sabha, Capt Amarinder Singh taking diametrically opposite positions. A day after the fresh war of words between the Bajwa and Capt Amarinder camp broke out, more than 30 legislators on Monday joined the verbal duel, dividing the Congress further.
The MlAs, loyal to Capt Amarinder Singh, condemned PPCC chief Bajwa for seeking former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s expulsion from the party, and instead asked him to “quit”. The leaders loyal to Bajwa too jumped in the fray, targeting Capt Amarinder. The two camps on Monday came out in open in an apparent of show of strength, though via press statements, both the camps gave the long list of party leaders, including MlAs supporting them.
More than 30 MlAs, out of 46, issued a joint statement defending Capt Amarinder and condemning Bajwa for seeking former Chief Minister’s expulsion from the party. Instead, they have asked Bajwa to “quit”. “For heaven’s sake and for the sake of party, please muster some courage to quit as there is nothing more left for you to damage the party further,” the MlAs told Bajwa.
They were reacting to Bajwa’s interview to some television channels wherein he had demanded removal of Capt Amarinder from the party. The MlAs, in a joint Press statement, said: “It is an irony that the most unpopular leader of Congress like Partap Bajwa is seeking the expulsion of the most popular leader of the party in Punjab. Bajwa is badly mistaken if he thought that he could make some political bargain out of speaking against Capt Amarinder.”
On the other hand, more than 25 party leaders including one MP and four MlAs, issued statement assailing Capt Amarinder for his “reprehensible and malicious intention to demolish Rahul Gandhi’s elevation”. Questioning Bajwa’s locus standi on seeking Capt Amarinder’s expulsion, the MlAs said that PPCC president was far too junior than him to make such statements, apparently out of frustration.
“It is ironic that the man whom everybody wants to be removed and relieved of all the party positions in Punjab is seeking the expulsion of the most popular leader in the State whom everybody wants to lead the party,” they said. Also condemning Bajwa for trying to create confusion by distorting what Capt Amarinder said about the change of leadership in the Congress, they advised him “to better learn and understand what Capt Amarinder had said”.
“Capt Amarinder has time and again reiterated that he is not against Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as the Congress president, but this is not the right time for him to be elevated as only Sonia Gandhi could lead the party under current circumstances,” they clarified defending Amritsar MP. Asserting that Bajwa was deliberately trying to sow discord within the rank and file of the party to damage it further as he had no stakes left in the party as his removal was imminent and inevitable, they urged him to better be quiet and quit the party as he had already done enough damage.
In contrast, Bajwa’s supporters questioned the reprehensible and malicious intention of the former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to demolish Rahul Gandhi “at a very crucial juncture when he was to launch his massive drive to mobilise the masses against anti-people policies of the Narendra Modi Government with a massive rally of the farmers in Delhi on April 19 arguing that he is inexperienced”.
“Rather than launching a tirade against Bajwa which is part of the campaign of Capt Amarinder, under whose leadership the party has been facing humiliating defeats one after another, to recapture the centre stage in the State by hook or by crook, his supporters should have rather come out with their plans to make the April 19 rally a huge success,” they alleged. The PPCC leaders said that it was now amply clear that Capt Amarinder “is not only targeting Rahul, who is a hurdle in his objective, but also to sabotage the rally”.
They said: “In case, Capt Amarinder has any reservations about Rahul being given the responsibility and has his intentions been sincere, he should have taken up the issue at the party forum and with Sonia Gandhi rather than giving vent to his feelings from a public platform.” “Capt Amarinder had even gone to the extent of saying that the leaders like him might have to consider other options in case Rahul took over which amounted to open revolt,” they said demanding that Capt Amarinder must be shown the door as none would agree to his contention that he was not opposing the elevation but was against the timing.
Young Gandhi scion has become the latest ground for war between the two rival leaders. Apparently close to Rahul, Bajwa is in favour of handing over the party reins to him. On the other hand, Capt Amarinder is in favour of Sonia Gandhi’s continuation as party president with whom he shares good relations.
The issue has snowballed into a major controversy between the two with both launching a scathing attack against each other. A day after Capt Amarinder had stated that Sonia should continue as party chief while Rahul can wait for the party’s top post, Bajwa on Sunday blamed him to “scuttle Rahul Gandhi’s elevation”. In response, Capt Amarinder asked him “not to distort his stand on leadership issue by spreading rumours and misinformation”.
