Punjab Congress leaders have left the party's high command in a fix over the issue of extending support to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Rajya Sabha to oppose the Centre’s ordinance to create a National Capital Civil Service Authority.
The party’s senior leadership from Punjab unit, during a meeting with the Congress’ national president Mallikarjun Kharge, and former party chief Rahul Gandhi, along with AICC general secretary in-charge of organization K C Venugopal on Monday, has suggested that they should not back AAP on the central ordinance while maintaining that it would set a wrong narrative.
Congress leaders from Punjab, where AAP is the ruling party, strongly impressed upon the high command not to extend any kind of support to Arvind Kejriwal and his brigade. At the same time, the party leaders have left to the high command too take the final call.
Kharge called the Punjab leaders for a meeting after the Congress Legislative Party leader in Punjab Partap Singh Bajwa urged the high command to consult state unit before supporting the AAP as it had allegedly unleashed a witch-hunt against Congress leaders in Punjab. AAP had ousted the Congress from power in Punjab in 2022 Assembly polls.
“@AamAadmiParty & @ArvindKejriwal deserve no support or sympathy from @INCIndia. @AAPPunjab govt has launched ruthless witch-hunt against @INCPunjab leaders and workers and has made their lives hell by misusing the police and investigation agencies,” Bajwa had tweeted.
Bajwa, in related tweet, said: “I appeal to INC high command to consult the leadership of Punjab, HP, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Gujarat & Karnataka before even considering helping AAP. It was instrumental in giving a political edge to BJP in these states. AAP is the B team of BJP and they are two sides of the same coin. Let’s not protect a wolf in the sheep’s clothing.”
Even as none of the party leaders disclosed what actually transpired during the meeting, it has been learnt that the state leaders emphatically and plainly stated that AAP shouldn't be supported in the matter of Ordinance, while suggesting that the Congress should maintain a distance from AAP.
Majority of the state Congress leaders argued that the party top brass should not meet AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, arguing that the latter was trying to use the ordinance row to his political advantage.
“The ball is in the high command’s court now to decide whether to support or oppose the Centre’s ordinance…We have expressed out stand…we have told them about our reservations…Now, it is on the high command to take the final decision, which they will convey to us soon,” said Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, after the meeting.
Among those who attended the meeting were the AICC in-charge of state party affairs Harish Chaudhary, state Congress president Amrinder Warring, Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa, and other senior leaders including Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Rana KP Singh, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manish Tewari, Amar Singh, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, and Bharat Bhushan Ashu.
The ordinance, which would eventually be brought to the Parliament as Bill, will give Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor the final say on transfers and postings of civil servants instead of the State Government, that is currently headed by AAP.
A senior party leader who attended the meeting, while talking with The Pioneer, shared that the meeting was stormy with the leaders strongly and clearly putting forth their views. “This is very unusual situation…AAP is ruling party in Punjab, and Congress is the principal opposition…We will have to maintain complete distance from AAP and also this person (in reference to Kejriwal). We have conveyed this to the high command and they will take the call,” said the leader.
The senior leader added that one suggestion was that the party should stage a walk-out when the Bill is put to vote.
As per information available, the Congress leaders contended that AAP-led Punjab Government had been hounding and persecuting the party leaders and workers, and “muzzling” free and independent media by misusing Vigilance. The mention of Punjab Vigilance Bureau recently issuing summons to the editor-in-chief of Punjabi newspaper Ajit, Dr Barjinder Singh Hamdard, was also mentioned in the meeting.
Punjab Congress’ former chief Navjot Singh Sidhu refused to disclose details of the meeting. “What transpired during the meeting is a secret and only the Congress chief or Rahul Gandhi would divulge the details…India's Constitution is a sacred ‘granth’ and I take inspiration from it…But, I can say emphatically that the values of the Constitution are at its lowest ebb,” he said while citing instances where the Centre “trampled upon” the Constitution.
When asked whether the Congress can enter into an electoral understanding with AAP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sidhu said: “There cannot be an alliance when there are ideological differences.”
Punjab party affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary said that the meeting was Congress’ “internal issue. “This was an internal meeting…We used our right to talk to the party high command. We have told the high command,” he said.
