Congress party's two power centres in Punjab — former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and State party chief Partap Singh Bajwa — have been slugging it out for more than two years now. But Bajwa on Friday turned into a disciplined and an obedient boy willing to forego all differences in the presence of party’s national leader Rajeev Shukla.
At loggerheads with Capt Amarinder, Bajwa virtually called it quits and extended the hand of friendship saying that there are “no differences between them”. “Capt Amaridner is senior to me…he is my elder brother…I have served as a Minister in his Government…he has been our party president…this is what I have conveyed to Sonia (Gandhi)ji and Rahul (Gandhi)ji,” he said.
“All we need is to work together…we are foot soldiers…whatever we will asked to do, we will do…Main thing is to make Punjab free of Badals…to make party win the elections…party can bring anyone in front,” he said. Bajwa added, “We have no differences. I am willing to walk an extra mile…go up to him…and request him to work together for the party.”
The battle for supremacy has been going on between Bajwa and Capt Amarinder ever since the former took over as state Congress chief, and gained ground following series of defeats the party faced under Bajwa’s leadership with both washing their dirty linen in public. Despite repeated warnings and words of caution from the Congress high command, including party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, failed to apply brakes on the tussle between the two senior leaders.
Having faced series of defeats including 2012 assembly polls and 2014 general elections with factionalism as one of the main reason, the party has apparently refused to learn any lessons. With next state assembly polls just about two years away, the party is witnessing a severe groupism between Bajwa and Capt Amarinder, marring its prospects to form government in the state in 2017.
However, for party’s national leader Shukla, the problem of factionalism in Punjab’s party unit is not as grave as being projected. “ “There is no serious situation in the state Congress unit…Whatever differences of opinion exist between certain leaders, it’s not affecting the party’s image in the state,” said Shukla, who is also the former union minister.
Arguing that there was no party where internal squabble would not exist, Shukla exuded confidence that “once elections came near, all leaders will be united”. “United Congress would contest 2017 polls and emerge winner…The situation is not so much grave and people would realize that,” he said adding that the high command has also appealed to all the leaders to work together and stay away from blaming each other.
Playing down the leadership crisis in the state, Shukla said: “The party would contest polls under collective leadership…and the congress legislative party would decide on the leader.”
“The party is preparing to fight with full vigour and all leaders will fight together…SAD-BJP has been an unpopular Government…people are fed up of them. And BJP cannot run away from its responsibility of sharing power with the SAD for all these years and now blaming its alliance partners for all wrongs,” he said.