less than three years after he was unceremoniously ousted after party’s defeat, Capt Amarinder is holding the Congress party reins again in Punjab. The party high command on Friday formally announced his much-anticipated appointment as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief.
Capt Amarinder’s appointment as PPCC chief for the third time, with an eye on the ensuing state assembly polls in 2017, is expected to give a new lease of life to the faction-ridden party in the state.
Already, the ‘Patiala Royal’ has proved himself as a leader of the masses by organising series of rallies across the state, but also exhibited his popularity among the party cadre.
The “power” did not come handy for Capt Amarinder as Congress vice-president took months together to gauge the situation in Punjab and take stock of the ground realities before forming the new party structure for Punjab.
Started months ago, Rahul Gandhi held a series of meetings with Punjab MlAs, senior party leaders, district heads, block presidents, among others. He even gave a patient hearing to both Bajwa and Capt Amarinder, several times.
To assess the ground reality by himself, Rahul Gandhi made three visits to the state, one after another.
Capt Amarinder’s appointment came a day after the party high command has asked his predecessor Partap Singh Bajwa and Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader Sunil Jakhar to submit their resignations paving way for the comprehensive rejig in the state party unit.
Besides Capt Amarinder, the party has also announced the appointment of senior leader and MlA lal Singh’s name as PPCC’s senior vice-president. He is the prominent OBC face in the state.
The party has also cleared the name of senior party leader and former Union Minister Ambika Soni as the chairperson of the Campaign Committee for the next Punjab Assembly elections in 2017. Dalit leader and MlA Sadhu Singh Dharamsot will be the vice-chairman of the Campaign Committee.
ludhiana MP and the grandson of former state Chief Minister Beant Singh Ravneet Singh Bittu has been appointed as the convener of the Campaign Committee.
“The Congress president has appointed Capt Amarinder Singh, MP, as president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect,” said AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi in a party’s official release.
It added that the move is “consequent to the resignation of Sardar Pratap Singh Bajwa from the presidentship” of the Punjab unit of the party. Further appointments will be made shortly, Dwivedi’s statement added.
Sources informed The Pioneer that party high command has also re-appointed senior state party leader Sunil Jakhar as the ClP leader in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, a day after he was asked to put in his papers.
CAPT GETS POWER, YET AGAIN
Back in saddle once again, Capt Amarinder has become the Punjab Congress president for the third time. Earlier, he has been the PPCC chief from 1998 to 2002, when he steered the party towards victory in 2002 state assembly polls, followed by his second term in office from 2010 to 2013.
Amritsar MP, he is currently the Congress Deputy leader in the lok Sabha. He has also served as Punjab Chief Minister from 2002 to 2007. Capt Amarinder was replaced by Bajwa after the Congress faced a resounding defeat in 2012 assembly elections.
However, the party lost two consecutive state assembly polls, in 2007 and 2012, under his presidentship.
His appointment was made ‘strategically’ keeping in mind the forthcoming state assembly elections, due in early 2017. Even his critics admitted that only he has the capacity to bring the Congress back in power in Punjab.
CHAllENGES AHEAD
Capt Amarinder will face two major challenges — party infighting and presence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
It is the internal strife within the party’s state unit that has emerged as one of the major reasons for the party’s series of elections’ defeats. Besides, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has also admitted the intense factionalism in the state party unit, and has time and again asked the party leaders to stay united.
Taking everyone along would be a major test for the Maharaja as many leaders, including Patiala (Rural) MlA Brahm Mohindra, and many party leaders in ludhiana, are against him.
Besides factionalism, Capt Amarinder would also has to ensure that the AAP don’t take the advantage of anti-incumbency against the ruling regime, just as the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) did in 2012 polls. AAP currently has four parliamentarians, covering 36 assembly segments.
CAPT’S STRENGTHS
Political analysts believed that the political alignments in the state would undergo a drastic change after his comeback as party chief. The SAD, even when Capt Amarinder’s appointment as PPCC chief was mere speculations, has adopted a defensive posture forcing the Badals either to deliver or vanish.
Emerged to be the ‘tested and tried weapon’, Capt Amarinder has always led the party from the front.
A force to reckon with, Capt Amarinder has many a times emerged as a ‘Maharaja’ in real sense. His recent win in 2014 lok Sabha elections from Amritsar against BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley, at the time when the Modi wave swept the nation, has further bolstered his position within the party.
It is not an unknown fact that Capt Amarinder is the only leader who can tame the Akalis and dare to speak for the party workers. Even the political observers believed that only Capt Amarinder has the capacity to worry veteran politician and State Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal.