Captain Amarinder Singh’s resignation as the Punjab Chief Minister (CM) has signalled anxiety, despair and disquiet for the Congress months before the State heads for its Assembly elections. Fixing the factional feud — apart from leadership woes in the backdrop of heated rivalry and rebellion between Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu — may not bode well for the party wanting to sidestep these differences for the better.
If the appointment and elevation of Sidhu as the Chief of the Punjab Congress Committee are being contested and challenged by the CM himself, then why would the party take such a huge gamble bereft of any merit? The Gandhis should have shown a large heart by taking Singh into confidence. He has, after all, been one of the tallest architects for the Congress in the state, nourishing and nurturing the party from its infancy.
Singh’s repeated reminder for the audience at his speech went unheard. As for Sidhu, he made the most out of his visits by seizing the slice at the first instance. What was been left of Singh, who selflessly and effortlessly served the Congress all through his political career with a great sense of dignity, pride and patriotism of hailing from the army. Why is it that senior leaders of the party are the ones suffering due to the indecisiveness of the party in reaching a consensus on the allocation of portfolios?
What do we make of the delays, and the observers who rush out at the last moment to conduct and comfort the dissenters? Does it make any difference for a party glued and guided by its interim President lacking the political competency and capital to acknowledge ,the practical realities, reducing the party’s assertion and claim to power?
There is something more that has to be performed than what has been already presented for the grand old party to become a substitute to the chauvinistic and communal politics. Rising communalism is becoming an anathema to the Constitution and democracy of the country. I understand that the grand old party can definitely take a lesson or two from the internal rifts and ruptures brewing for a while in Rajasthan and Chattisgarh with Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, Bhupesh Baghel and TS Singhdeo entering into a sign-off over who gets what, when and where.
I am afraid if this becomes the first in the grand old party’s history, then we can very well speculate its faith and existence. An emotionally charged Singh has accused Sidhu of being a pro-Pakistani for participating in the swearing-in of Imran Khan in 2018 and hugging ISI Chief Bajwa despite not being permitted to. Nevertheless, he was chosen to go ahead. What was the urgency? As for his resolve in not clearing the files and sitting on them for long, Sidhu may not owe an explanation to Singh, whose outburst against his lieutenant weighed more than anything else.
Well, the Akalis and AAP may silently watch the show before it is concluded. In politics, how you position yourself for probabilities and possibilities matters a lot, and it is with this that exceptional leaders throw up their towel for achieving big and bigger.
Punjab nu kahaani toh abhi shuru hui hai aage aage dekhe ye kis karvat baithe si (The story in Punjab has just started, just wait and watch what happens in the future).