A day after Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was given a deadline to fulfill all pre-poll promises by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) three-member panel, the senior Congress leader returned to Chandigarh without meeting the Gandhis — Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi — commonly addressed as the party high command.
On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi continued meeting the party leaders from Punjab for the third consecutive day, including the state Congress president Sunil Kumar Jakhar, Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa, and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal. Rahul Gandhi also met Punjab party affairs’ in-charge Harish Rawat who apprised him of panel’s meeting with the Chief Minister.
At the same time, taking strong note of the recent statements by the Congress MLA and firebrand leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, the high command may also summon the former cricketer soon. Notably, the Chief Minister lodged strong objection against Sidhu’s “two families taking advantage in the state” remarks, regarding which the high command has also sought details.
Pressure seems to be mounting on Capt Amarinder with the party high command taking a tough stand, and conveying it to the Chief Minister that he has to fulfill all the promises made to the people before elections before the state goes to 2022 polls.
Even as Rahul Gandhi continued to meet the state party leaders, especially those criticizing the Chief Minister, a rendezvous with Capt Amarinder was not on his list.
RAGA MEETS PUNJAB PARTY LEADERS
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi continued his one on one meetings and met Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar, finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Rajya Sabha MP Pratap Singh Bajwa mainly to take a first-hand feedback of the prevailing situation and ground realities in the state after the infighting escalated.
Downplaying the ongoing crisis in the state party unit after meeting Rahul Gandhi, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Jakhar said that the main issue under consideration is how to make the party come together for the next assembly elections and emerge victorious.
“After meeting Rahul ji, I am hopeful that this issue will be resolved very soon considering the level of seriousness with which the high command, especially Rahul Gandhi, is taking up the matter,” he said.
Jakhar said that during the meeting, discussions were held on the ways of strengthening the party and sorting out all the differences of opinion between the senior leaders. “And the seriousness with which Rahul is watching the issue, I am confident of an early solution. The Congress will politically revive from Punjab,” said Jakhar, adding that he would not let it go the Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh way.
On the question of Capt Amarinder returning to Punjab without meeting the Congress high command, Jakhar said that the agenda of his visit is only to meet the three-member panel, led by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.
When asked about the possibility of changing the state Congress president, Jakhar said that the issue was not of the state president, but how to win the elections unitedly.
Also expressing displeasure with Sidhu's recent statements, Jakhar said that the former Minister should reach out to Rahul Gandhi and make his point. He added that Sidhu is under discussion by the party leadership.
At the same time, Jakhar maintained that the Cabinet’s recent decision regarding government job to the sons of MLAs on “compassionate grounds” was wrong and could not be defended.
Mincing no words, Jakhar said: “Few wrong people are making Captain sahib to take such decisions…they are so called advisers….those who have come close to the Chief Minister in the past few days…They are actually putting the office of the Chief Minister in a spot.”
Capt Amarinder’s bête noire and Rajya Sabha MP Pratap Bajwa, who also met Rahul Gandhi, said that he discussed the ground reality and current political situation in the State.
“The MLAs and Ministers, who want to fight elections in Punjab, have discussed with the leadership the ways to get reelected…We spoke about the current political situation of Punjab, where we stand electorally, what are the expectations of the people from us, and what are the expectations of the state leaders from the high command,” said Bajwa.
On who would be the party’s face in 2022, Bajwa said that is for the leadership to decide.
“I have told Rahul about my assessment and about how genuine the grievances of some leaders are. We held threadbare discussions on every issue and I suggested my solution on how to win the state,” Bajwa said.
While the high command has set up a three members committee to resolve the crisis in Punjab congress unit, Congress’ former national president Rahul Gandhi take upon the charge to defuse the tension in the state unit and held parallel talks with the disgruntled leaders and now holding one on one meeting with several MLAs, Ministers, MPs, including those who have openly spoke against the Chief Minister.