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Flurry of activities end with elevation of Sidhu
The Congress high command named former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu as the new president of Punjab Congress along with four working presidents on a day full of hectic political activity and uncertainty as the wait for the formal announcement was getting longer
The Congress high command named former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu as the new president of Punjab Congress along with four working presidents on a day full of hectic political activity and uncertainty as the wait for the formal announcement was getting longer.
Both warring factions in the state Congress held meetings of their supporters to fortify their positions on the revamp of the organisational set-up even as the present incumbent Sunil Jakhar called a meeting of party legislators and district unit chiefs on Monday for passing a resolution and facilitate a solution. The meeting has been called off following the announcement.
The day began with Sidhu, who was tipped to take over as the Punjab Congress chief and met nearly 30 party leaders, including Jakhar, ministers and MLAs on Saturday, going from district to district and reaching out to MLAs in Patiala, Khanna and Jalandhar to demonstrate the support he is getting.
The formal announcement of the former minister’s appointment was considered a formality but was stuck owing to strong opposition from chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh. In Delhi, nine of the 11 Congress MPs from Punjab held a meeting and decided to throw their weight behind Amarinder. They also sought time from Congress president Sonia Gandhi for a meeting to push their case, said people aware of developments.
The Congress MPs’ meeting, seen as a show of strength, was held at the residence of Partap Singh Bajwa who has buried his differences with the chief minister and had a dinner meeting with him at his farmhouse in Mohali on Saturday. Barring Ambika Soni and Amar Singh, all other party MPs, from the state, including Capt’s MP wife Preneet Kaur, were present.
“Discussion with @INCIndia Rajya Sabha & Lok Sabha MPs from Punjab to devise a strategy on farmers’ issues in upcoming monsoon sesson of the Parliament,” Bajwa tweeted with photos.
Rajya Sabha MP Shamsher Singh Dullo, who attended the meeting, said there are a lot of things going on in the state. “We have informed the Congress president and sought time from her for a discussion on Punjab Congress affairs and other burning issues. I spoke to her and have sent a letter to her today, saying that if the party wants to retain power, a Dalit should head the state unit,” he said.
Besides the party MPs, 10 MLAs, including three AAP legislators who recently joined the party, also issued a joint statement in CM’s support, urging the Congress leadership not to let him down as “because of his unrelenting efforts, the party stands well entrenched in Punjab”. “Sidhu was a celebrity and was no doubt an asset to the party, but condemning and critcising his own party and government in public has only created a rift in the cadres and weakened it,” they said in a statement released by Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who is among the three new entrants. Harminder Singh Gill, Kuldeep Vaid, Fatehjang Bajwa, Gurpreet Singh GP, Balwinder Laddi, Santokh Bhalaipur, Joginder Pal, Jagdev Kamalu and Pirmal Singh are among the MLAs who issued the statement. They also supported Singh’s decision not to meet Sidhu unitl he publicly tenders an apology for his “derogatory” tweets against him.
Amarinder and Sidhu have been at loggerheads and the latter repeatedly targeted the CM through his tweets and a spree of interviews.
While Sidhu is still to respond to Capt’s apology demand, dissenting cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa spoke out in his favour, stating that if Amarinder can forget (Partap Singh) Bajwa’s letters against him, then he should also forget Sidhu’s tweets in the interest of the party. “What MPs are saying does not matter as the state will go to polls next year to elect MLAs,” he told reporters.
Jakhar’s bid to break the impasse
As Sunday’s developments signalled the hardening of positions by both sides, Jakhar called all 80 party MLAs and district presidents for the meeting in Chandigarh to pass a resolution that whatever decision is taken by the Congress high command would be acceptable to all.
Later, former Union minister Ashwani Kumar said the decision of the Congress high command to appoint Sidhu as the new party chief in Punjab should now be gracefully accepted by all in the interest of party. “This is a time to be united. There are no victors or losers. Reconciliation is the way forward,” he said, adding that magnanimity is expected on both sides.
