Under attack from a section within the Congress, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Partap Singh Bajwa has decided to keep tabs on the activities of his opponents within the party.
For the purpose, Bajwa has approved the appointment of as many as 117 observers in all blocks to oversee the conduct of the party’s monthly meetings at the block level. It was claimed that the appointment was made after the All India Congress Committee (AICC) had issued directions that the party’s districts and block-level units should hold its meeting every month.
AICC directions were communicated to the Punjab party unit office bearers and districts’ heads by the AICC secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Chaudhary during the party meeting held on September 29.The observers have been appointed for 268 block level party units covering all 117 Assembly segments in the State. Most of the appointments were of Bajwa’s loyalists.
At the same time, the move is seen as PPCC chief’s attempt to crack the ongoing ‘oust Bajwa’ campaign by his detractors.It has been learnt that Bajwa’s bête noire and the former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and his supporters are working out a strategy to build an opinion ‘against’ Bajwa to pave way for his ouster from the party’s top-post.
As a part of strategy, Capt Amarinder camp has planned to tap brewing resentment against Bajwa down to the grass-root level. Besides MlAs, they are also involving office-bearers and other senior leaders of party’s State or district units to construct an opinion in favour of the ‘oust Bajwa’ campaign.Sources told The Pioneer that Capt Amarinder’s supporters are taking the campaign right down the block and district levels involving grass-root leaders in their plan.
In addition, Bajwa’s detractors are also pressurising the party high command to remove him. Capt Amarinder had also maintained that he had expressed his opinion against Bajwa during his meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi.Capt Amarinder displayed his hold within the party during Preneet’s oath-taking ceremony and a lunch hosted in her honour with majority of 43 legislators rallying behind him, besides the former MlAs, and other senior party leaders. Interestingly, Bajwa was not invited in both events.
The campaign was initiated soon after party faced worst-ever poll debacle in 2014 to oust Bajwa for his failure to lead the party to victory despite strong anti-incumbency wave.Bajwa completely focused his concentration on Talwandi Sabo assembly constituency only, while not even sparing a single day for campaigning in Patiala from where Capt Amarinder’s wife Preneet is contesting polls despite being party chief.
In contrast, the Congress succeeded in retaining Patiala urban assembly segment, where Capt Amarinder supervised the electioneering.Patiala win led to Capt Amarinder’s emergence as a strong leader after he strengthened his position in the party by winning against BJP stalwart Arun Jaitley and making his wife Preneet Kaur won Patiala bypoll.
Contrarily, Bajwa’s failure to retain his Gurdaspur lS seat and party’s loss at Talwandi Sabo has built anti-wave against him.