No End To Congress' Woes In Punjab
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-07-01 14:26:35
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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
It is extremely surprising how Navjot Singh Sidhu, despite being a turncoat and a comparatively recent addition, manages to do what seasoned politicians in the Congress cannot. Despite Rahul Gandhi categorically denying a couple of days back that any meeting was fixed with Sidhu, the loudmouth politician from Punjab not only met Priyanka Gandhi but later met Rahul too and the indications are that he is likely to be jointly appointed the PCC chief in the state. With this, the Gandhi siblings have clearly indicated whose side they are going to take (as state chief minister and senior leader Amarinder Singh was not granted a meeting with them just last week) in the event of a showdown. Although Rahul seems to be a reluctant 'conspirator' (some reports suggest he is yet to endorse the plan fully), he seems to have been convinced by Priyanka.
But will it work in Punjab? Already there are murmurs in the political circles of the state that telling Amarinder Singh that he will be the face of the party in the 2022 elections and then thinking of appointing his bete noire as the PCC chief is like readying the stage for a duel. Some leaders are of the opinion that the matter is not only about the chief minister and Sidhu. They say that Pratap Singh Bajwa is a huge factor and as of now it is not clear who he will support. If reports saying that Bajwa has mended his fences with Amarinder Singh are true, their supporters will not be very happy with Sidhu as PCC chief. Some of them have already said they will not accept him as PCC chief.
The Congress must be aware of the clout Amarinder Singh wields in the state. If it thinks that at 79 he is too old and they should invest in the future, instead of putting him off, they should make him a part of their plans and ensure that the transition is smooth. The way it is going, the Congress is trying to hurt itself more than start the healing process. If the Gandhi siblings will decide things, why appoint a panel to look into the differences between the leaders of the state? The dissenting voices show that Sidhu as PCC chief and Amarinder as the chief minister face is not the solution to the problem. In fact, it is likely to complicate matters and the party will find it difficult to run a smooth campaign in the 2022 elections.
