The bonhomie between the CM and the PCC chief is missing just ahead of elections
That there is something intrinsically wrong with the Congress is yet again evident from the internal bickering in its Punjab unit. Even though Captain Amarinder Singh is holding the ground, the unstoppable Navjot Singh Sidhu is out to challenge him on every available opportunity. Just after few weeks of the compromise, the party is in a mess again. The ambitious Sidhu is openly challenging the Captain, making things difficult for him and the party, especially when the elections are around the corner. Now the challengers feel that they might be sidelined if not eliminated, at the time of elections. This might also jeopardise the agreement reached between the two factions. Both sides had agreed that the Captain would be the face of the party in the forthcoming elections. The silent but resilient Captain is in no mood to relent. Harish Rawat, in charge of Punjab Congress, is likely to be in Amritsar soon. His assignment would help reach the rapprochement once again. In all likelihood, he would be soft on Sidhu and would have a list of dos and don’ts for Amrinder Singh. What is happening in Punjab can be termed as ‘Hara-kiri Congress style’ — Destabilising party just to make a satrap fall in line.
It is a fact that Captain did not care much about the high command much to its consternation when pampering of Sidhu starts. The central high command is betting big on Sidhu who neither has grassroots support nor experience and calibre of Captain Amarinder Singh. Moreover, Sidhu himself does not know which party he would be in the next morning. In this situation, the job of Harish Rawat would be even more difficult. If the Congress’ Punjab citadel falls, it would entirely be its central leadership’s folly as Manish Tiwari has said that the party is soft on Sidhu and harsh on Captain. Unlike other States, there was not poaching by the BJP or any other party. So one else can be blamed for its mess. Congress’s survival is important for the sake of the country. A potential threat to the Government keeps it on track and no challenge to it makes it reckless. The Congress leadership must realise they swim together or sink together. The central leadership must do the balancing act and not upset the apple cart, which it seems to be doing now.