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Punjab CM meets Cong panel amid infighting
Chief minister Amarinder Singh met the committee headed by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge at the latter’s Parliament House office in Delhi.
Amid growing tension in the ruling Congress, Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh met for almost three hours with the three-member committee set up to end dissidence in the party’s state unit ahead of next year’s assembly polls even as some ministers and MLAs conveyed to former party president Rahul Gandhi their strong displeasure over former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s spate of interviews bad-mouthing Singh
Singh met the committee headed by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge at the latter’s Parliament House office in Delhi. The committee which also has general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Harish Rawat and former Delhi MP Jai Prakash Agarwal as members discussed with him the implementation status of the 2017 poll manifesto of the party, a change in the party organisation in the state, and preparations for the coming elections, said a committee member who asked not to be named.
This person added that the panel specifically asked the chief minister about the pending poll promises, including action against the Badals in the sacrilege and police firing cases. Singh did specifically brief the members about the status of probe into sacrilege and police firing cases, the chief minister’s aides said.
“The committee members were informed that the special investigation team report in the Kotkapura firing incident was quashed by the court and the new SIT had already made quick progress,” they added.
Between June and October 2015, three incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib took place in Faridkot district, leading to huge resentment and protests in the state. On October 14, 2015, two protesters were killed in police firing in Behbal Kalan. The same day, police also opened fire on protesters in Kotkpaura. Amarinder had promised strict action against those responsible for sacrilege and police firing. On April 9 this year, the Punjab and Haryana high court quashed the investigation carried out by the state police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Kotkapura police firing case. The state government has constituted a new SIT in accordance with the court order.
The CM’s meeting with the central panel, their second in less than three week, came on the day the SIT questioned SAD leader Parkash Singh Badal, who was the chief minister at the time of the 2015 police firing, for two hours in the case.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi had one-to-one meetings with about a dozen party leaders from the state, including six ministers, during which some of them conveyed to him their displeasure over Sidhu’s statements targeting the chief minister. At least four leaders, including two ministers, said the Amritsar East MLA’s actions would damage the party in the state. Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, who raised the issue with both Rahul and Kharge, said that several leaders have informed the high command about his (Sidhu’s) statements and that notice has been taken. “There is discontent over this. The CM has been appointed by Sonia Ji and Rahul Ji. This kind of things coming from someone who was in the cabinet is unfortunate and not acceptable,” he said. Sidhu has publicly attacked the CM in the press, accusing him of colluding with Badals.
Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar and Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa are likely to meet Gandhi on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter said.
HT has also learnt that the panel is expected to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday to update her about the issues. However, the problem between the chief minister and cricketer-turned-politician may have got exacerbated with both taking a ‘maximalist’ position, according to one person who didn’t want to be identified.
The CM told committee members that they should make a fair assessment about what each person brought to the table. While he was willing to go along with whatever the party decided, he wanted them to see the troubles Sidhu was stirring with his public outbursts against the CM. The CM’s side seemed to be upset that Sidhu drew his support from Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi.
“The problem is we need both CM and Sidhu so we have to work it out,” said the leader quoted above.
A second person that HT spoke to confirmed that Sidhu was adamant on the PCC chief post. However, the party doesn’t think that it would be the right fit for him as it is more of a behind-the-scenes role, that involved taking everyone along.
Sidhu seemed less interested in accepting deputy CM post now that there was just months left before elections, the person added.
The other issue, said a leader, was the choice of deputy chief ministers or PCC chiefs. Both Sidhu and the CM are from Patiala and the central leadership is looking for another deputy CM candidate that would balance out regional representation.
The discussions with the CM were also about the roll out of Dalit- oriented schemes as they form 30% of the population in the state.
