Widening of differences between former Chief Minister and Permanent Invitee to the Congress Working Committee Capt Amarinder Singh and Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa has started ringing alarm bells in the State ahead of the lok Sabha polls.
At a time when the process of ticket distribution for the 13 seats in Punjab has started, Capt Amarinder on Wednesday cautioned Bajwa against going public about his opinion about party candidates for the forthcoming parliamentary elections, particularly his remarks that some of them were facing anti-incumbency. Citing media reports, Capt Amarinder said Bajwa has been quoted saying that there was anti-incumbency against some sitting party MPs. He said, this will not only create unnecessary confusion among the party rank and file but will also demoralise the potential candidates.
Advising the PCC president to exercise restraint and not to go public, Capt Amarinder said, he (Bajwa) should raise these matters with the party high command only. He said, going public over such issues leads to confusion particularly when he has been quoted saying that there was anti-incumbency against the sitting party MPs.
Capt Amarinder asserted that the incumbency and anti-incumbency yardstick cannot be applied in Punjab which is being ruled by the Akali-BJP alliance which has not only made the job of Congress MPs difficult but also created impediments against their working. The PCC president should hold the Akali-BJP alliance accountable rather than blaming his own party MPs by saying that there was anti-incumbency against them, he argued while adding, most of the party MPs have done a great job against all odds.
Reacting to reports quoting Bajwa about announcing candidates for some parliamentary constituencies in Punjab of his own without taking the high command into confidence, the former PCC president said, selection of the candidates is the prerogative of the party president Sonia Gandhi. “The PCC president can only make his recommendations”, he pointed out, while adding, he had earlier also raised the matter and Bajwa had publicly acknowledged it was not his prerogative.
He added, the PCC president should handle such issues sensibly and sensitively.