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  • Supreme Court questions the continuing relevance of two-child norms. The Court observed that falling fertility rates have weakened the population-control rationale behind laws disqualifying people with more than two children from contesting local body elections. It referred the issue to a larger Bench for consideration
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  • Uttar Pradesh voter rolls show a 2.4-crore discrepancy. A difference of approximately 2.4 crore names has been reported between the state's panchayat and rural Assembly voter lists. The Election Commission has ordered the two sets of rolls to be matched
  • Gujarat announces 3% dearness allowance hike. The state government announced a three-percentage-point increase in dearness allowance for government employees and pensioners ahead of Diwali
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  • Maaya Rajeshwaran reaches WTA-level quarter-final. The 17-year-old Indian defeated Poland's Weronika Falkowska 6-4, 6-3, becoming the first Indian woman since Sania Mirza in 2012 to reach a quarter-final at a WTA Tour-level singles event
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  • India beat Pakistan 3-2 in SAFF Championship. India defeated Pakistan in a closely contested match, having led 3-0 before conceding two late goals. The victory was reported as a significant result for India's second-string side
  • India beat Japan 4-1 to win a record sixth Asian Champions Trophy. India recovered from an early deficit to defeat Japan in the final at Mohali, extending its record as the tournament's most successful men's team
  • The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre and the Election Commission on a petition challenging Section 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which grants the CEC and Election Commissioners protection from legal proceedings for acts performed in their official duties. The petition argues that such blanket immunity could leave citizens without an effective remedy for alleged wrongdoing by the Commission
  • The Supreme Court told voters whose names were deleted from Delhi's draft electoral rolls not to be apprehensive about seeking re-enrolment through Form 6, after the Election Commission assured it that such applicants would not be prosecuted merely because their names had appeared in earlier rolls
  • Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opened the party's campaign for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections with an Insaaf rally in Sangrur, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's home district, accusing the AAP government of failing to control drugs, gangster violence and corruption. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge outlined six commitments, including a drug-free Punjab, protection of farmers, employment for young people and action against corruption
  • Rahul Gandhi accused the AAP government of running Punjab through a remote control from Delhi and questioned Bhagwant Mann's ability to tackle drug abuse, making personal allegations about the Chief Minister's conduct during their time together in Parliament
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No End To Congress' Woes In Punjab

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-07-01 14:26:35

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

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. 

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