Battle lines have been clearly drawn in the faction-ridden Congress in Punjab with the pro-Navjot Singh Sidhu faction deciding to press for changing the Chief Minister ahead of early 2022 Assembly polls and Captain Amarinder Singh’s supporters targetting the state party chief (Sidhu) by calling for action against is advisors over their anti-national and Pro-Pak comments.
As the ruling Congress is battling anti-incumbency, the Sidhu faction – buoyed by his appointment by party high command as Punjab Congress chief despite much opposition from Amarinder – is demanding the leadership change in order to win the polls slated early next year.
And the Sidhu faction appears to be in a hurry to see this change, as indicated by their open revolt on Tuesday, ahead of the impending cabinet reshuffle which could be used by the CM to show the door to Sidhu’s supporters.
Four Punjab ministers Tript Rajinder Bajwa, Sukhbinder Sarkaria Sukhjinder Randhawa, and Charanjit Channi held a meeting at Bajwa’s residence and declaring a lack of faith in Amarinder’s leadership. They were joined by Punjab Congress general secretary Pargat Singh and about two dozen Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs).
Though Sidhu didn’t attend the meeting, the faction decided to send a delegation to Delhi to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and seek the leadership change at the earliest.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Randhawa and Channi said the Congress would lose the Assembly polls under the current CM. “Our concern is that the poll promises like justice in Bargari and scrapping the faulty power purchase agreements have not been fulfilled,” they said.
Captain Amarinder Singh’s supporters attacked Sidhu for giving ammunition to the Opposition with his “failure to put his foot down on such anti-national and Pro-Pak diatribe by his close aides, despite the justified uproar it has triggered across party lines”.
Taking strong exception to the patently anti-national and Pro-Pak comments of two of Navjot Sidhu’s aides, a group of Punjab Congress ministers and MLAs on Tuesday called for strong action under the law against Malwinder Mali and Payre Lal Garg.
The statements of both these newly appointed advisors of Punjab Congress president Navjot Sidhu were clearly against India’s interests, and detrimental to national security, said ministers Brahm Mohindra, Vijay Inder Singla, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Balbir Singh Sidhu, and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, along with MLA Raj Kumar Verka.
Besides stringent legal action against Mali and Garg, they also urged the Congress national leadership to direct Sidhu to immediately rein in his aides in the interest of the party, as well as the country.
The Congress leaders also questioned Sidhu’s failure to put his foot down on such anti-national and Pro-Pak diatribe by his close aides. Sidhu’s omission in this regard had given ammunition to the Opposition parties, which were quick to recall the Punjab Congress chief’s own bonhomie with the Pakistan Prime Minister and Army chief, they pointed out, warning against the massive damage this could cause to the Congress in the run-up to the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls, which are due in less than six months.