Just about a fortnight after Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa hoisted a white flag to announce peace with his bête noire Capt Amarinder Singh, the battle between the two rivals has only intensified. Sounding the battle bugle, Capt Amarinder on Monday reiterated his demand to remove Bajwa from the party’s top post after meeting the party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
The former Chief Minister, during his meeting with the top bosses, stressed on the dire need to change the guard in Punjab, not only to end factionalism within the Congress but also to lead the party towards the victory in the scheduled 2017 polls in the State. Bajwa, only recently, had extended the hand of friendship towards Capt Amarinder saying that there are “no differences between them”. Describing himself as a foot soldier and Capt Amarinder as his “elder brother”, Bajwa did not hesitate to say that he would request him to work together for the party.
Capt Amarinder, during his more than half-an-hour meeting, discussed, in detail, the ways and means to strengthen the party at all levels, resolving the differences within, with the main focus on sorting out the leadership issue as a one-point solution to all ills afflicting the State party unit. It is believed that Amritsar MP has strongly pressed for his demand to remove Bajwa contending that only appointment of a new party chief could bring the entire party cadre together.
It has been learnt that Capt Amarinder has even suggested the names of couple of leaders, certainly from his camp, to lead the party ahead 2017 assembly polls. Already, the names of senior Congress leader lal Singh, former Union Minister Ambika Soni, Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader Sunil Kumar Jakhar and ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, has been doing the rounds in the party circles.
Capt Amarinder has all along been demanding Bajwa’s ouster on the grounds that he has been a failure during his entire tenure as party chief and his poor leadership has created rift within the party. The battle for supremacy has been going on between Bajwa and Capt Amarinder ever since the former took over as the State Congress chief, and gained ground following series of defeats the party faced under Bajwa’s leadership with both washing their dirty linen in public.
The repeated warnings and words of caution from the Congress high command, including Rahul Gandhi, even failed to apply brakes on the tussle between the two senior leaders. Having faced series of defeats including 2007 and 2012 Assembly polls besides 2014 general elections with factionalism as one of the main reason, the party has apparently refused to learn any lessons. With next State Assembly polls just less than two years away, the party is witnessing a severe groupism between Bajwa and Capt Amarinder, marring its prospects to form the next Government in the State.
While the Patiala Royal is claiming the party’s top post by flaunting the support of majority of party MlAs besides senior leaders, Bajwa, on the other hand, has increased party activities and taking up every minute issue against the ruling coalition to save his sinking boat. Strong infighting is giving anxious moments to the party high command which is eyeing Punjab as the platform to start its winning campaign, especially after losing a series of elections.
The Congress party is expecting to make a comeback in Punjab, which would be among the first States to witness Assembly polls, by banking on wave against the ruling SAD-BJP coalition. It is for that reason that the party high command is taking on priority the issue to sort out the internal strife and leadership issue in the State party unit. Primarily, the party is making every possible effort to consolidate its position in the State considering the anti-government wave over the multiple issues of drugs, law and order, farmers’ issues, among others.
Besides strengthening its base, the party is eyeing to win back its lost vote-bank of the Dalit community. Other than the internal bickering, the presence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also giving sleepless nights to the Congress high command, which did not want to go the chance of coming back to power in the State.
AAP, which drew blank in the entire country, managed to bag four seats out of 13 in Punjab alone during the 2014 general elections making a major dent in the vote share of both the Congress and the SAD-BJP coalition. Bajwa camp was upbeat after the party chief met the young Gandhi scion on Thursday last who assured him to participate in his proposed padyatra (foot march) against the SAD-BJP Government from October 2. Sources maintained that the party high command has offered Capt Amarinder to head the campaign committee for the 2017 polls, virtually making him the chief ministerial candidate for the next elections.