The Congress high command has decided to mend the bridges burnt by its own leaders in Punjab less than a year before the assembly elections in the State.
Keeping a close watch on all the activities in the state party unit, the Congress high command has decided to set up a panel of senior leaders to look into the developments before taking any decision.
Notably, the infighting between the Congress’ Punjab unit appears to be reaching a flash point with the party leaders divided under two power centres — one owing allegiance to the CM Capt Amarinder Singh while other driven by a “common intent” of punishing the guilty of sacrilege cases and related firing incidents, drugs, among others.
Past months, since the adverse judgment by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, had seen hectic activities in the state Congress unit with the Chief Minister openly throwing challenge to his own party colleague and currently the ‘top critic’ Navjot Singh Sidhu to contest against him—virtually declaring a war with him amidst high command’s efforts to break the ice between the two warring leaders.
Besides, several top party leaders, including some Ministers, parliamentarians, and even legislators, came out in open to question the party’s own Government over its failure to punish the guilty in sacrilege cases. Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Tourism Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, Rajya Sabha MPs Partap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo, senior Congress MLA Pargat Singh, among others openly criticized the government, while, on the other hand, Sidhu continued to bombard the internet with critical tweets directly targeting the Chief Minister.
This was followed by a series of closed-door meetings, subsequent to which reports of Vigilance inquiry against Sidhu, reopening of an old case against Channi, came forward, while Pargat Singh accused CM’s political adviser of threatening him with inquiry.
Till the things settled, the party high command has asked the leaders to exhibit restraint and not to go in the media against one another. On the other hand, it has also reportedly asked the Chief Minister to maintain calm.
A senior party leader informed The Pioneer that the high command has all along been watching everything. “It is an organizational issue and the high command will take a call on it at the right time,” said the leader.
It has been learnt that the high command has set up a three-member panel, comprising senior Congress leader and party’s general secretary (organization) KC Venugopal and party’s state affairs in-charge Harish Rawat, to look into the prevailing crisis in the state party unit, considering that elections are just a few months away now.
The committee, constituted on the intervention of the party’s national vice-president Rahul Gandhi, would visit the state to hold one to one meetings with the party leaders, including parliamentarians, legislators, districts unit chiefs, and also the state president. Following this, a detailed report would be submitted to the party high command on the situation.
Earlier, the panel wanted to hold a videoconference meeting with the MLAs, but after some objections were raised citing confidentiality, it was decided to hold one to one meetings.
Notably, the Congress interim national president Sonia Gandhi, former party president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have taken independent feedback on the situation.
There are also reports that Rahul Gandhi may also hold a meeting with all Congress MLAs and MPs of the State. Available information suggests that he may meet 37 party leaders who lost in the previous Assembly elections, beside the state unit president and district leaders.