Seven months after he defeated Bharatiya Janata Party heavyweight Arun Jaitley in a fierce electoral battle in the last general election, former Punjab chief minister and Congress party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Amarinder Singh is all set for another fight.
This time, however, he is not targeting a rival from another political party but instead training his guns on his known bete noire from his own party – Punjab Congress chief Pratap Singh Bajwa.
Amarinder Singh was the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee till two years ago when he was removed after the party lost two successive assembly elections in Punjab under his leadership. His successor Pratap Singh Bajwa was entrusted with the tough task of bringing about a semblance of cohesion in the faction-ridden state unit and energising the party rank and file.
But Bajwa failed the test. He could not put an end to the infighting in Punjab Congress and was unable to deliver a good result for the Congress in the last Lok Sabha election.
Shows of strength
On the other hand, a down-and-out Amarinder Singh was back with a bang after his high-profile victory against Jaitley in Amritsar. Having proved that he cannot be written off, the former royal from Patiala has declared open war against Bajwa and demanded that he should be replaced with a strong leader if the Congress is to defeat the incumbent Shiromani Akali Dal government in Punjab. In other words, Amarinder Singh wants his old job back, which means he would then be automatically projected as the party’s chief ministerial candidate.
An emboldened Amarinder Singh has been creating problems for Bajwa for several months now. On Sunday, the rift in Punjab Congress was out in the open when the former chief minister threw an open challenge to Bajwa when he rallied his supporters at a special luncheon meeting at his Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala. He had held a similar meeting in December. He was also absent throughout the last winter session of Parliament even though he is the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha and is expected to lead the fight against the ruling alliance in the Lower House.
As many as 35 of the 45 Congress legislators attended the meeting, where Amarinder Singh declared that he would lead a campaign against the Akali-BJP government with a public rally in Amritsar on January 22, the same day that BJP president Amit Shah proposes to launch his party’s anti-drug campaign with a public meeting in the city. Bajwa was not consulted by the pro-Amarinder camp for this proposed rally.
Like the Sunday luncheon, the public rally will be yet another occasion for Amarinder Singh to prove his strength among the party cadres and popularity with the masses. He wants to use the opportunity to show that he is the only leader in Punjab who can take on the Akali Dal and the BJP. “Amarinder wants to prove that he is the only mass leader in the Congress in Punjab,” remarked a senior party office-bearer.
Worries for high command
Going all out to mount pressure on the Congress leadership, the flamboyant former Punjab chief minister even met Congress president Sonia Gandhi last week to press for a leadership change in Punjab.
“We need a strong leadership to win the elections in Punjab, and I don’t think Bajwa can win the state for us,” Amarinder Singh declared after his meeting. He, however, denied media reports that he was planning to jump ship and that he was in talks with the BJP.
Clearly, Amarinder Singh’s open show of defiance is a cause of concern for Sonia Gandhi as it comes at a time when she is still struggling to come up with a strategy to energise the demoralised Congress rank and file and reinvent the party following its defeat in the last general election.
The Congress leadership believed it had bought peace with Amarinder Singh when it appointed him deputy leader in the Lok Sabha last year. It was expected that his new job would keep the former maharaja busy in Delhi and keep him from meddling in the affairs of the Punjab Congress. It has, however, been proved wrong. “He has not settled down in Delhi, he wants to go back to Punjab,” said a senior Congress leader.
Time for a comeback
Although the next assembly election in Punjab is due in 2017, the Congress can ill afford to ignore Amarinder Singh’s rebelliousness and hope that he will not be able to sustain this show of defiance for such a long period. With Bajwa failing at his task, Amarinder Singh may prove that, despite all his faults, he remains the party’s best bet.
Both Amarinder Singh and the Congress leadership are well aware that the next Punjab assembly election is crucial for the party. The ruling Akali-BJP government is facing massive anti-incumbency after two terms in office. Moreover, relations between the two allies are under strain and the ties could even snap closer to the state polls. The situation is ripe for the Congress to stage a comeback.
The story of Congress revival could well begin with Punjab, provided the leadership takes the right decision at the right time. In fact, the party is pinning its hopes on this state since the Congress is a marginal player in the other states where elections are to be held in the next two years. The Congress is not even being considered a player in next month’s Delhi polls. Similarly it is a bit player in next year’s Bihar elections and the subsequent Uttar Pradesh polls.
If Congress is unable to recover ground in Punjab, it could have serious ramifications in other states.
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This time, however, he is not targeting a rival from another political party but instead training his guns on his known bete noire from his own party – Punjab Congress chief Pratap Singh Bajwa.
Amarinder Singh was the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee till two years ago when he was removed after the party lost two successive assembly elections in Punjab under his leadership. His successor Pratap Singh Bajwa was entrusted with the tough task of bringing about a semblance of cohesion in the faction-ridden state unit and energising the party rank and file.
But Bajwa failed the test. He could not put an end to the infighting in Punjab Congress and was unable to deliver a good result for the Congress in the last Lok Sabha election.
Shows of strength
On the other hand, a down-and-out Amarinder Singh was back with a bang after his high-profile victory against Jaitley in Amritsar. Having proved that he cannot be written off, the former royal from Patiala has declared open war against Bajwa and demanded that he should be replaced with a strong leader if the Congress is to defeat the incumbent Shiromani Akali Dal government in Punjab. In other words, Amarinder Singh wants his old job back, which means he would then be automatically projected as the party’s chief ministerial candidate.
An emboldened Amarinder Singh has been creating problems for Bajwa for several months now. On Sunday, the rift in Punjab Congress was out in the open when the former chief minister threw an open challenge to Bajwa when he rallied his supporters at a special luncheon meeting at his Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala. He had held a similar meeting in December. He was also absent throughout the last winter session of Parliament even though he is the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha and is expected to lead the fight against the ruling alliance in the Lower House.
As many as 35 of the 45 Congress legislators attended the meeting, where Amarinder Singh declared that he would lead a campaign against the Akali-BJP government with a public rally in Amritsar on January 22, the same day that BJP president Amit Shah proposes to launch his party’s anti-drug campaign with a public meeting in the city. Bajwa was not consulted by the pro-Amarinder camp for this proposed rally.
Like the Sunday luncheon, the public rally will be yet another occasion for Amarinder Singh to prove his strength among the party cadres and popularity with the masses. He wants to use the opportunity to show that he is the only leader in Punjab who can take on the Akali Dal and the BJP. “Amarinder wants to prove that he is the only mass leader in the Congress in Punjab,” remarked a senior party office-bearer.
Worries for high command
Going all out to mount pressure on the Congress leadership, the flamboyant former Punjab chief minister even met Congress president Sonia Gandhi last week to press for a leadership change in Punjab.
“We need a strong leadership to win the elections in Punjab, and I don’t think Bajwa can win the state for us,” Amarinder Singh declared after his meeting. He, however, denied media reports that he was planning to jump ship and that he was in talks with the BJP.
Clearly, Amarinder Singh’s open show of defiance is a cause of concern for Sonia Gandhi as it comes at a time when she is still struggling to come up with a strategy to energise the demoralised Congress rank and file and reinvent the party following its defeat in the last general election.
The Congress leadership believed it had bought peace with Amarinder Singh when it appointed him deputy leader in the Lok Sabha last year. It was expected that his new job would keep the former maharaja busy in Delhi and keep him from meddling in the affairs of the Punjab Congress. It has, however, been proved wrong. “He has not settled down in Delhi, he wants to go back to Punjab,” said a senior Congress leader.
Time for a comeback
Although the next assembly election in Punjab is due in 2017, the Congress can ill afford to ignore Amarinder Singh’s rebelliousness and hope that he will not be able to sustain this show of defiance for such a long period. With Bajwa failing at his task, Amarinder Singh may prove that, despite all his faults, he remains the party’s best bet.
Both Amarinder Singh and the Congress leadership are well aware that the next Punjab assembly election is crucial for the party. The ruling Akali-BJP government is facing massive anti-incumbency after two terms in office. Moreover, relations between the two allies are under strain and the ties could even snap closer to the state polls. The situation is ripe for the Congress to stage a comeback.
The story of Congress revival could well begin with Punjab, provided the leadership takes the right decision at the right time. In fact, the party is pinning its hopes on this state since the Congress is a marginal player in the other states where elections are to be held in the next two years. The Congress is not even being considered a player in next month’s Delhi polls. Similarly it is a bit player in next year’s Bihar elections and the subsequent Uttar Pradesh polls.
If Congress is unable to recover ground in Punjab, it could have serious ramifications in other states.
