In a strategic move, aimed at taking everyone along just before 2014 parliamentary polls, the newly-appointed Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa is all set to give adequate representation to members of different castes, age and religion in his new team of party office bearers.
The team, Bajwa said, will be constituted after he wraps up his Statewide tour sometime in May. Before finalising the team, Bajwa would also meet All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
Treading his way cautiously, Bajwa is in no hurry to form his team. Particularly after he was made to withdraw the five appointments he made of his officer bearers including his brother Fateh Singh Bajwa as general secretary in-charge of party office, and former MlA Sukhpal Singh Khaira as party chief spokesperson.
“The High Command was not against those appointments, but the idea was to make all the appointments at once, and not the isolated ones,” Bajwa told The Pioneer.
As the State Congress has witnessed a generational shift with the appointment of this 56-year-old as the State party president, replacing 72-year-old Capt Amarinder Singh, Bajwa is also eyeing to form a team that will stay for “the next 15 years”.
“We have to take care of the age factor while forming the new team. The politics are now not only meant for the senior politicians, but the young faces are also coming forward. Right from Rahul Gandhi — the party’s national young face — besides other young leaders, down to my appointment here as compared to previous president who was 70 above….there is a generational change. Party is focusing on young faces, which may stay here for the next 15 years or so,” said Bajwa.
Besides the age, other factors he was considering are “regional and caste equations”. “There are so many things to be taken are of. We have to make sure that all the regions of the State — Malwa, Majha, and Doaba — be given adequate representation. Besides, we also have to take care of giving equal representation of people from all castes,” clarified Bajwa.
“Some of the members in the current team would be retained, while some would be replaced,” he added.
As of now, the current team of party office bearers is continuing. Refusing the dubieties that the Constitution of the Congress party mandates that “in-office” team ceased to function soon as the new president takes over, Bajwa said, “The present team is very much still there. The general secretaries, and district presidents, and all the PPCC office bearers are functioning.”
The team of office bearers, normally having the names of the loyalists of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president, includes the vice presidents, general secretaries and members of executive committee, permanent invitees, besides the constitution of manifesto and coordination committees.
Bajwa’s predecessor, Capt Amarinder had appointed six vice presidents, eight general secretaries and 33 members of Executive Committee, and 17 permanent invitees, after a period of eight months of assuming the charge of the party’s state top post.
There is no cap, as such, on the total number of office bearers. While the earlier teams had witnessed as many as 1,200 names, Capt Amarinder’s team has barely over 100 members.
Presently on state tour, Bajwa will recommend the names of the PPCC office-bearers including vice presidents, general secretaries and the district presidents, which need to receive the approval of the party High Command.