After oscillating between the Congress’ senior party leaders including Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Punjab’s political ball has reached Sonia Gandhi’s court. The Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is set to meet the Congress interim national president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday.
Sources informed The Pioneer that the meeting between the two leaders is expected to give a final shape to the truce formula, devised by the party high command to resolve the prevailing power struggle and infighting within the Punjab Congress unit, especially to bridge the colossal gap between Capt Amarinder and party’s ‘firebrand’ leader Navjot Singh Sidhu.
The Congress high command has reportedly worked out the ‘formula’ after the three-member panel of senior leaders met more than 100 party leaders from the State coupled with the parallel meetings held by Congress national vice-president Rahul Gandhi with party legislators, parliamentarians, Ministers, former state unit chiefs, and other senior leaders, especially those vocal against the CM.
The Capt-Sonia meeting also comes days after Sidhu had met Gandhi siblings in two separate meetings in Delhi. It is believed that the high command has worked out a ‘formula’ to resolve the crisis impacting the party’s poll prospects in Punjab, with state polls just about seven months away. Capt Amarinder’s meeting with Sonia Gandhi is being seen as another step to sort out the prevailing feud.
It has been learnt that Capt Amarinder, during his previous visit to the national capital to meet the three-member panel, had sought time from Sonia Gandhi, but the Chief Minister returned to the state without any meeting.
Sources have informed that now, the party supremo has called Capt Amarinder for a meeting on Tuesday. However, it is not known whether the Gandhi siblings, who negotiated with Navjot Sidhu for hours, would also be part of the meeting. As per information available, Capt Amarinder is expected to leave for Delhi on Tuesday morning.
Even as Priyanka has all along been supporting Sidhu despite his frequent criticism of the Chief Minister and even reportedly played a crucial role of the crisis manager by convincing her brother, Rahul, for meeting the former Minister, Capt Amarinder enjoys a good relationship with Sonia Gandhi as he had been a close friend of her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The Congress high command has been working on various formulas and plans to ‘suitably accommodate’ Sidhu and other disgruntled leaders, besides giving due representation to the various sections and castes.
Available information suggests that the party high command may make changes in the state’s organisational structure including replacing the state unit chief reportedly with two presidents or working presidents, one being Sidhu. Notably, Capt Amarinder has categorically opposed appointment of Sidhu as state party chief, while the cricketer-turned-politician is insisting on the post.
With Capt Amarinder and Sidhu both Jat Sikhs, it is expected that the high command may go in for two presidents or working presidents formula with one being Sidhu and another from the Hindu community.
Besides, appointment of two deputy Chief Ministers is a part of another formula, which is reportedly not accepted by Sidhu.
Notably, the leaders hailing from other sections, including Dalits and OBCs, have been complaining of not giving them their due representation in the state party unit or in the government.
Currently, a Hindu leader Sunil Jakhar is leading the state party unit, who is likely to be replaced.
Congress’ two prominent leaders — Dr Mohinder Kumar Rinwa (Fazilka) and Hans Raj Josan (Jalalabad) — had already joined the SAD, while former Minister Ashwani Sekhri’s (from Batala) plans to shift loyalties towards Akali Dal was changed at the last moment with Capt Amarinder’s intervention.
With the apprehensions that the Akali Dal and the BJP can polarize Hindu and Dalit voters, the Congress party is also focusing on these two communities which hold power to form the government. Hindus form 38 percent of Punjab’s electorate and live in urban areas, while Dalits (mostly Sikhs) form another 32 percent of the electorate.
It is believed that Sonia Gandhi is likely to take the final call in the matter by July 8 or 10; and it would be interesting to see what formula it would suggest to resolve the prevailing crisis in the Punjab Congress unit.