Party chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday announced the appointment of four areas in-charge to assist the newly appointed Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa.
The party high command has ensured the inclusion of former Chief Minister and Bajwa’s predecessor Capt Amarinder Singh’s loyalists and members of the SC community.
This is also being seen as an attempt by 10 Janpath to ensure that Bajwa does not become “too big for his boots.” The Congress seems to be in no mood to taste defeat once again. With an eye on the ensuing parliamentary polls, scheduled in 2014, Congress has started to plug the loopholes that led to its recent defeats.
In an apparent attempt to bring the State party leadership into “close contact” with the grassroots workers and the people, the party high command has appointed four areas in-charge to oversee the works in different regions of the State.
Party MlA from reserved constituency, Banga, Tarlochan Singh Soondh, has been given the responsibility of Doaba region, while senior leader from Amritsar, OP Soni has been appointed in-charge of Majha.
For Malwa, being the main region with maximum constituencies, two in-charge have been appointed — sitting Rampura Phull MlA Gurdeep Singh Kangar and Chamkaur Sahib MlA Charanjit Singh Channi.
Gurdaspur MP Bajwa was appointed Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief on March 5, replacing former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, following opposition against the latter in view of party’s back-to-back defeats.
After crushing defeat in 2012 State Assembly polls, the Congress could not break the SAD-BJP alliance’s victory march right from municipal polls, Dasuya by-polls, DSGMC polls and in the Moga by-election.
In a well calculated move, the Congress high command has given representation to the Jats dominating Punjab’s Doaba region with Bajwa’s appointment, SC community by appointing Tarlochan Singh and Channi as in-charge.
With the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) making inroads into Dalit and Hindu vote banks, the party has astutely appointed Soni as party’s Hindu face in Majha. Also, the inclusion of Kangar, Capt Amarinder’s staunch loyalist, in a team for assisting Bajwa is seen as a move to take along Capt’s group.
During Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Punjab to take stock of party’s situation and ascertaining the reasons for the party’s successive defeats, wrong allocation of tickets, distance between workers and party leadership, poor poll management, delay in decision on tickets, rebels and party’s failure to win them over, lack in coordination emerged as major reasons.
Rahul had proposed that along with party president, three zonal presidents be appointed and representation be given to the dalits and Hindu leaders in the leadership to win back party’s traditional vote bank, which is now inclining towards SAD-BJP combine. The party has gone by caste combinations, and made an effort to get all dominant castes under the Congress banner in the run up to the parliamentary elections.
Monday’s appointments annulled
A day after newly appointed Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa appointed his younger brother Fateh Jang Singh Bajwa and a close aide Sukhpal Singh Khaira to the posts of party’s general secretary and chief spokesperson, the decision was withdrawn on Tuesday.
Besides, Bajwa also appointed Rajanbir Singh, Rajinder Deepa and Ashok Chaudhry as secretaries of the Punjab Congress.
“All temporary appointments made in the PCC office yesterday are hereby withdrawn with immediate effect till further orders,” stated the official press statement issued on Tuesday.