The political battle within Punjab Congress to bring Patiala Royal Capt Amarinder Singh back as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president is gaining momentum with each passing day. Another set of legislators from the State on Tuesday met party’s national vice-president Rahul Gandhi to press upon him the need for handing over the party reins to Capt Amarinder for taking the Congress towards victory in Punjab.
Rahul Gandhi met all 43 MlAs from Punjab in four different groups in two days with a view to sort out issues in the State party unit, besides discussing the ways and means to strengthen the party in the State ahead Assembly polls scheduled to beheld in 2017. Among several Punjab related issues including wooing Dalit vote bank, tapping Hindu Punjabis, drug menace, SAD’s highhandedness, among others, party’s infighting and battle for state leadership emerged as the core.
Indications are that the majority want the former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder back in the saddle by removing the state party chief Partap Singh Bajwa — except senior leader Ajit Inder Singh Mofar who opted to maintain strategic silence. They were of the view that the party should “cash in on Capt Amarinder’s popularity”. Sources told The Pioneer that the majority of MlAs, hailing from Capt Amarinder camp, has told Rahul Gandhi that Bajwa, during his term, has remained “incompetent” and “ineffective” in countering the Akali Dal in Punjab.
“One of the MlA went on to the extent of saying that even the SAD leaders have started pointing that if the Congress want to survive, they should bring Capt Amarinder,” stated one of the senior MlAs present in the meeting, requesting anonymity. Another MlA, who wished not to be named, stated that majority of MlAs stressed of replacing Bajwa with Capt Amarinder “as only he can lead the party to victory. And that is what people wanted which is evident by successful lalkar Rally at Amritsar”.
The development is significant as the meetings came just about a month after Capt Amarinder decided to display his strength by hosting a luncheon meeting for the party leaders including MlAs, MPs, among others while leaving out Bajwa, and his recent anti-drug rally at Amritsar, his home constituency. At both the events, anyway around 35 MlAs were present.
The tussle between Capt Amarinder and Bajwa has been going on since long. Capt Amarinder was replaced soon after the party lost 2012 State Assembly polls. But, Bajwa’s situation after replacing Capt Amarinder remained precarious with a series of defeats from civic body polls, to 2014 lok Sabha elections to bypolls. Bajwa’s attempts to project the party in a positive light and picking up State-specific issues such as drug menace in the State have so far not succeeded in bringing much credit to him. In fact, at the time when the Congress, under Bajwa, pressurised the SAD-BJP Government to hand over probe in multi-crore drug case to the CBI, it was derailed by Capt Amarinder’s stand against CBI probe. Just like a day before, Rahul Gandhi preferred to listen and did not comment.
The meetings have been timed just before February 7 Delhi polls. Though BJP chief Amit Shah had postponed his day-long rally at Amritsar, Rahul Gandhi has virtually spared two days for Punjab Congress MlAs just when the polls are round the corner. One of the reasons, perhaps, in Rahul Gandhi’s anxiety to resolve the differences surfacing due to lalkar Rally held by Capt Amarinder on January 24. The rally was seen as an attempt by Capt Amarinder to show his popularity, not only among the party leaders, but also among the State masses.
Another theory is that Rahul Gandhi wants to resolve the leadership crises in the congress before the Delhi polls for effective Opposition to the candidates fielded by the SAD on the BJP ticket in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi is apparently trying to please the majority, if not everyone, before taking a decision on party leadership. Meetings have been seen as party high command’s attempts to gauge the mood and inclinations of the MlAs.
Besides the leadership issue, “growing indiscipline” in the party was also highlighted by many senior MlAs in Tuesday’s meeting. “Most of the MlAs were of the view that indiscipline within the party should be controlled and no one should go in the media against the party and fellow leaders,” Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader Sunil Jakhar told The Pioneer. Newly-appointed Indian Youth Congress chief and party MlA from Gidderbaha Raja Amarinder Singh Warring opined that the party should formulate its policies according to the people’s consciousness and emotions.