Days after Congress MlA from Raja Sansi Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria questioned functioning of the party and the State president, Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader Sunil Kumar Jakhar met the rebel legislator on Wednesday seeking his reply on the issue within two days’ time.
At the same time, Jakhar has asked the MlA not to air his views in the media, rather put down the same in his reply to be forwarded to the party High Command.
Sarkaria, in a written communiqué to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi, criticised the party leadership in Punjab under Partap Singh Bajwa, and on the other hand, heaped praises on former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
Seeking a change of guard in party’s Punjab unit, and review of State’s political situation ahead of the crucial 2014 lok Sabha polls, Sarkaria had urged the party high command to “give the party leadership in Punjab back to a person recognized by the entire top leadership and who can take everyone along” — hinting at Capt Amarinder.
Taking serious note of Sarakria’s outburst against Bajwa and the State leadership, the party high command swung into action and asked ClP leader to sought reply from the ‘rebel’ MlA as a precautionary move to nip any dissidence in the bud that may prove fatal for the party before parliamentary polls.
The development also assumes significance as the letter was sent when the State party chief Bajwa has “successfully” completed the two leg of his mass contact programme, and Congress Working Committee member Capt Amarinder has been asked to lay off his programme of holding state-wide “parallel” rallies with that of Bajwa’s programme.
“I have met the MlA today and asked him to give his explanation on the issue. He has sought two day’s time to reply. As soon I got his reply, I would forward it to the high command, as it has set October 5 as the deadline for the same,” Jakhar told The Pioneer.
Maintaining that the leader has been asked to jot down his grievances and complaints in his reply, Jakhar said that he has been told that his move to release letter to media was not just and such issues could be raised within the party “as there are plenty of forums within the party where it can be expressed or put forward”.
“We would look into what were the reasons of his outburst, what were his grievances, why he need to go to the press when he had already wrote to the high command,” added Jakhar.
On the other hand, Sarakria — the Capt Amarinder’s loyalist — still stand by what he had written in his missive to the High Command. “I have done nothing wrong….why would I fear of any action against me…I have expressed my displeasure with the High Command regarding Bajwa’s leadership and I still stand by that,” he told The Pioneer. Adding that he has been refrained from going to the media to air his grievances, Sarkaria said that now he would say everything in his reply only.
On one hand where the Bajwa loyalists have supported him demanding Sarakaria’s expulsion from the party for “anti-party activities”, leaders owing allegiance to Capt Amarinder’s camp has urged Bajwa to settle the “party’s internal matter by talking to the aggrieved leader”. Some of the leaders, from the Bajwa camp, had also charged Sarkaria of being in cahoots with the Akalis.
The political observers believed that questioning Sarakria would be a catch-22 situation for Sunil Jakhar as his loyalties towards Capt Amarinder is not an open secret.