oppn parties Infighting In Punjab Remains A Headache For The Congress

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  • Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, referring to a spate of FIRs for putting up posters in Delhi which said "Modi Hatao, Desh Bachao", said that even the British did not act in such manner
  • The 2023-24 Appropriation BIll, which allows the government to spend Rs 45 lakh crore in the fiscal, was passed by Lok Sabha in 9 minutes without any discussion
  • Sources say that Amritpal Singh fled to Haryana and may now be in Uttarakhand
  • Experts say that Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Parliament will kick in immediately as the conviction has not been stayed
  • Tatas to invest $2bn in super app Tata Neu
  • Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran has said that inflation will drop as commodity and food prices have fallen
  • Government will define quality norms to ensure better 5G service
  • Stocks tumble again on Thursday after two sessions of recovery: Sensex loses 289 points to 57925 and Nifty goes down by 75 points to 17076
  • Amicus curiae and senior advocate K V Vishwanathan has told the Supreme Court that the changes made in law and three extensions given to the present director of Enforcement Directorate are illegal and will imperil the integrity of the agency
  • Supreme Court says it cannot judicially direct the government to acquire land or buildings near the court for advocates' chambers
  • ISSF Cup shooting: Indian pair of Rhythm Sangwan and Varun Tomar win silver in 10m sir rifle mixed team event
  • WPL: UP Warriorz take on Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator today. The winner will play Delhi Capitals in the finals
  • World Boxing: Four Indians - Nikhat Zareen, Nitu Ghanghas, Lovelina Borgohain and Saweety Boora - enter the frinals in their respective category
  • Bombay HC imposes costs and dismisses a petition by a housing society that sought to have a community-wise cap on residents
  • Delhi Police files 159 FIRs for defacement of public property and 49 for posters saying 'Modi Hatao Desh Bachao'
Rahul Gandhi disqualified from Parliament, Wayanad Lok Sabha seat declared vacant
oppn parties
Infighting In Punjab Remains A Headache For The Congress

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2021-07-18 06:28:22

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

 There seems to be no end to the Congress' woes in Punjab. For the last couple of months, things have gone out of hand in the state when there were multiple dissenting voices against chief minister Amarinder Singh. But what was initially being seen as a fight between Singh and Navjot Sidhu has now become a fight between many factions on the one side and the chief minister on the other. The problem is it does not stop at that. The various factions ranged against Singh are also at each others' throat.

Hence, when the high command takes a decision to appoint Sidhu as the PCC chief, not only does Singh object but there are objections from the other factions too. The three-member panel formed by the high command does not seem to have made much headway and as of now, it has failed to bring the various factions on the same page. The Gandhis have also met Sidhu a couple of times but have not been able to bring an end to the dispute. 

In the hectic activity that is taking place in the state's political circles, Sidhu is meeting MPs and MLAs, even those considered close to the chief minister in a bid to make them accept his appointment. Singh, on his part, wrote an angry letter to Sonia Gandhi and met Harish Rawat of the panel appointed to settle matters. In the end, Singh said he would accept Sidhu as PCC chief only if he renders a public apology for having insulted him in the recent past.

With the state elections due in 2022, the Congress needs to put its house in order to retain the state. For, although the state of the opposition is not healthy, it doesn't take much to antagonize voters if the party is not united. The first thing the Congress needs to decide is if it wants to keep the Captain in the saddle till the elections. If yes, then it must discipline Sidhu. In not, then it must show the Captain the door. But that is easier said than done for Singh is a grassroots politician and still commands respect and loyalty among Congress leaders and workers in the state. Further, even those who are not in Singh's camp are not naturally in Sidhu's camp. Hence, the Congress high command has its task cut out and it will take much heavy lifting before there is peace.