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Punjab Congress is once again grappling with internal discord. The factionalism, that cost the grand old party an embarrassing defeat by Aam Aadmi Party in 2022 assembly polls, has intensified once again, triggered by the cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu’s ‘Jittega Punjab’ rally at Mehraj in Bathinda.
 
The rally, which took place on Sunday, has become a catalyst for public spats among the state party leaders, exposing deep-rooted divisions that continue to plague the Congress unit in Punjab. In a déjà vu scenario, leaders are once again washing their dirty linen in public, raising concerns about the party's ability to present a united front ahead of crucial political challenges — 2024 general elections, and civic body polls.
 
In his rally, Sidhu left no chance to target his bête noire former Chief Minister and BJP leader Capt Amarinder Singh, party colleague and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, and other political opponents. And the fallout was swift, with the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Partap Singh Bajwa urging Sidhu to refrain from holding “separate” public meetings and to align with the party's collective efforts.
 
Bajwa, on Tuesday, had accused Sidhu of contributing to the Congress’ decline in Punjab, citing the drop in the party’s seat tally from 78 in 2017 to a mere 18 in the 2022 assembly elections. He implored Sidhu to participate in party stages instead of organizing individual “akhaaras”, emphasizing that such actions create disunity within the party.
 
In a tit-for-tat response, Sidhu maintained a strategic silence and chose to share the social media posts by his supporting Congress leaders on his official handle on X. Sidhu first shared the Facebook post of his former advisor Malvinder Singh Mali, who fired back at Bajwa, accusing him of playing the “Dalit card” and diverting from the agenda to end corruption.
 
The war of words escalated with Mali, in his Facebook post, criticizing Bajwa for dismissing the INDIA alliance and questioning his discomfort with Sidhu’s alignment with the Congress high command.
 
Mali’s post underscored the ongoing power struggle within the Punjab Congress, shedding light on the personal animosities and conflicting political strategies that threaten to undermine the party’s stability.
 
Sidhu shared another message of support from fellow party member Gautam Seth, Congress spokesperson. Seth, in his FB post, backed Sidhu for holding the rally saying that it has “further strengthened the Congress under Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi”.
 
Describing Bajwa’s assertions as “unfortunate” and “unsolicited”, Seth accused the CLP leader of unnecessarily denting the “Visible Working United Congress in Punjab”. He added, “Personal Insecurities must not overtake people’s issues and interest of the party”.
 
Sidhu also shared one more social media post by Congress’ former MLAs — Nazar Singh Manshahiya, Rajinder Singh Samana, Maheshinder Singh, Raminder Amla, Jagdev Singh Kamalu, and other Congress workers and senior leaders, in which they also expressed support to Sidhu, questioning why they were being criticized for holding a massive rally of over 8,000 people, which was aimed at improving the Congress’ prospects.
 
The supportive statement conveyed that the signatories believed in the collective strength of the Congress party and its commitment to addressing the concerns of party workers. It called for unity within the party, highlighting the importance of working together to overcome challenges and build a stronger Congress in Punjab.
 
Time that Congress High Command Shows Door to Sidhu: Senior leaders

Amidst the broadening rift, several leaders within the Punjab Congress have openly called for Sidhu’s ouster from the party. These leaders, in a joint statement, expressed their dissatisfaction with Sidhu's leadership, attributing the party's poor performance in the 2022 elections to his alleged focus on “self-glorification” and “indiscipline”.
 
Outlining their concerns, the leaders said that Sidhu’s actions often worked against the party's interests and collective efforts. They pointed to the drastic decline in the Congress’ seat tally under his leadership, emphasizing that his focus on personal agendas had detrimental effects on the party's electoral prospects.
 
The joint statement, issued through the official account of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), urged the Congress high command to take swift and decisive action, calling for a reevaluation of Sidhu's role within the party.  
 
“It is time that the Congress high command shows the door to former PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. Even though we respect him as the former chief of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, his actions often work against the interests of the party as a whole,” said Gurdaspur MLA Barindermeet Singh Pahra, Punjab Youth Congress president Mohit Mohindra, former MLAs — Kulbir Singh Zira, Navjot Singh Dahiya, Inderbir Singh Bolaria, Lakhvir Singh Lakha, Davinder Singh Ghubaya, Khushbaz Singh Jattana, and Amit Vij.
 
Zira pointed out that the Punjab Congress president, it was Sidhu’s duty to ensure that the party held a strong position in the 2022 elections, “a duty in which he failed miserably”. Dahiya added that the way Sidhu acts clearly shows he was not a team player, which always diminishes the efforts of the party and its workers.
 
Pahra said that Sidhu was “focused on self-glorification” which he needed to stop. You have clearly failed as a team captain and a team player,” he added.
 
As the internal dissent becomes more pronounced, the party faces the critical challenge of addressing these concerns to ensure stability and credibility. The question now lingers on how the Congress leadership will navigate this internal crisis and whether it will impact the party's future in Punjab politics, as it had in the past also.