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Amid power tussle in Punjab, CM Amarinder meets leaders
In attendance were current lawmakers, former MLAs, present and former chairpersons of boards and other government bodies, and four MPs. Current state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar was not present.
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh met around 35 leaders from urban areas of the state on Thursday amid a tussle for control of the party, a day after his rival and former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu met senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Singh’s meeting with the leaders, most of whom were Hindus, was aimed at calming nerves in the faction-ridden party and discussions focused on development plans and giving more representation to the Hindu community, said two people aware of developments. Punjab goes to the polls in early 2022.
“Had a fruitful discussion with senior Congress colleagues from urban areas of Punjab. We have taken their feedback to strengthen the party at the grassroots level,’’ Singh tweeted after the three-hour lunch meeting at his residence.
In attendance were current lawmakers, former MLAs, present and former chairpersons of boards and other government bodies, and four MPs. Current state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar was not present.
On Wednesday, Sidhu’s back-to-back meetings suggested that the cricketer-turned-politician – a trenchant critic of Singh – had the ear of the Gandhis, though one party insider described the meeting as a “balancing act”. In June, Singh came to Delhi twice to meet a three-member panel set up to resolve differences but didn’t meet the Gandhis.
The developments came amid reports that Sidhu may be given a key role -- including deputy CM or state unit chief -- but a member of the panel said the final decision will be taken by party chief Sonia Gandhi. “There will be a working arrangement here too between Sidhu and Captain Amarinder,” said Harish Rawat, general secretary in-charge of Punjab.
Sidhu wants to be made Punjab Congress chief, a post that will give him significant power ahead of the elections. Singh is averse to giving him such an important role and has backed a Hindu or Dalit face for the post.
A key leader present at Thursday’s meeting said that lawmakers told the CM that any changes in the leadership should have adequate representation of Hindus, who form roughly 39% of the state’s population and reside mostly in urban centres.
“The message from this key community is that both the Congress state head and the CM. cannot be Sikhs. That position has to go to a Hindu,’’ said the leader quoted. “So Navjot Sidhu as Pradesh Congress Committee chief is unacceptable to them.”
A second leader said several present at the meeting sought better representation in the Punjab Congress and upcoming elections. A third leader, a senior minister, said the ongoing rift was not discussed explicitly but some did raise the issue of delay in development works and complained about the bureaucracy ignoring party leaders. The chief minister assured them of quick action, said the minister.
Tensions between Singh and Sidhu have simmered since 2019, when the latter quit the cabinet after his portfolio was changed. But the bitterness mounted in May after the government suffered a legal setback in a 2015 case of police firing on a crowd protesting the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book.
Sidhu and some leaders publicly accused Singh of corruption, prompting the Congress to set up a three-member panel. The panel met around 150 functionaries – including Singh twice -- and submitted its report to party chief Sonia Gandhi on June 10. The panel recommended that Singh retain charge but Sidhu be accommodated in a key role.
