The ruling SAD strengthened its grip over Punjab this year, sweeping the panchayat polls while the Congress, mired in internal fighting, saw former chief minister Amarinder Singh being expelled from Assembly after his indictment by a House Committee in a graft case.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi paid obeisance at the Golden Temple on September 22 in a rare visit by a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to the shrine and termed the 1984 Army operation in the Sikh shrine as "absolutely wrong".
It was the first visit to the shrine and the state by the 38-year-old leader, and was keenly watched as he held roadshows to promote enrolment in youth Congress.
The late Indira Gandhi prayed at the temple two days after the 'Operation Bluestar' was completed on June 6, 1984, but for a long time members of the Gandhi family kept away from the holiest of the Sikh shrines. Congress President Sonia Gandhi had visited the shrine in 1999.
In an unprecedented move, the Punjab Legislative Assembly in September expelled Amarinder from the House following his indictment by its committee in a corruption case.
Even as Amarinder and the Congress described the decision as "unconstitutional", the assembly declared the Patiala seat represented by the senior leader as vacant.
{{/usCountry}}Even as Amarinder and the Congress described the decision as "unconstitutional", the assembly declared the Patiala seat represented by the senior leader as vacant.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress leader was indicted by a special committee of the Punjab assembly for alleged irregularities in exempting around 32 acres of land for private development in Amritsar during his tenure as chief minister.