The Congress has increased its efforts to resolve the feud between Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Congress MLA Navjot Sidhu. The squabble between Singh and Sidhu has worried party leaders about its impact on the party’s chances in the state elections next year.
Amarinder Singh arrived in Delhi on Monday to meet with the Congress party’s three-member central committee, led by Mallikarjun Kharge. At 11 a.m., the meeting took place. The chief minister is also expected to meet with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, but no confirmation has been received so far.
Both the chief minister and Sidhu have been at odds for a long time and have gone public with their disagreements. Sidhu’s feud with Singh began after he was forced to resign from the state cabinet in 2019 due to a change in his portfolio. However, in May, the government suffered a legal setback in a 2015 police firing case, escalating the enmity.
In his most recent attack, Sidhu claimed that Punjab Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda lies every day. “He made remark about my meetings” (with AAP). Is he able to prove it? What is this nonsense that he’s talking about? Let’s talk about the problems. Why is he ignoring issues like beadbi, loan waivers, and the white paper? What steps have you taken to combat drug abuse? Make a remark
Some leaders opposed to Singh have started distancing themselves from Sidhu after his public attack. “This fight is not about individuals or positions anyone, but about key issues such as justice in sacrilege cases, action against drug cartels and cable and sand mafia and scrapping of power purchase agreements. This is our priority. We are not concerned with Capt versus Sidhu or what he (former minister) gets or does not get,” said two cabinet ministers.
Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, has also stepped in to help resolve the crisis. On Monday, he met with Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla and Fatehgarh Sahib MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra, and on Tuesday, he will meet with more leaders.
The AICC panel, led by Kharge and including Harish Rawat and former MP JP Aggarwal, has already submitted its report to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, recommending that the election be held under Singh’s charge and that Sidhu be accommodated appropriately.
Before the assembly elections, the party’s leadership wants a united Congress. Some Congress leaders were concerned that the squabbling would hurt the party’s chances in next year’s assembly elections, which it is expected to win due to a weakened opposition and widespread farm protests.
Punjab is critical for the Congress because it is one of the few states where the party is in power, and the outcome will affect the party’s prospects outside of the state as well.
