With farmers angry with the BJP over the new contentious farm laws, there was a presumption that the next assembly election in Punjab would be a cake walk for the Congress. But the running feud between Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu, who resigned from the Ministry and kept aloof, is causing fireworks to fly. The fight is in full swing, with Sidhu taking a public stand against the CM in the sacrilege case and accusing him of shielding the Badal family. The CM hit back daring Sidhu to contest against him in Patiala if he wanted to lose his deposit. Sidhu is known for his closeness with the Gandhi family but his open revolt against the Punjab Chief Minister has complicated the situation and compelling the high command to keep its distance from him. If the high command fails to bring about a truce, the Congress is in for trouble in Punjab which is going to the polls in 2022.
WITH PILOT CAMP MLA QUITTING, RAJASTHAN INFIGHTING PEAKS
In Rajasthan Congress the infighting has peaked, with senior MLA and former minister Hemaram Choudhary, who belongs to the camp of former deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, resigning from the Assembly. Hemaram Choudhary, 73, elected from the Gudamalani constituency in Barmer district, requested Speaker C.P. Joshi to accept his resignation with immediate effect. The six-time MLA did not give any reason for his resignation, but his move was seen as an indication of the Pilot camp’s resentment over the Congress leadership’s failure to address its grievances. Nine months after the return of rebel leaders into the party fold, neither a Cabinet reshuffle has taken place nor have any political appointments been made. Choudhary had earlier sought to resign in 2019 during the first session of the State Assembly after the government’s formation, reportedly because he was miffed at not being inducted into the Cabinet. He withdrew his resignation after being pacified by senior leaders. The Congress leader was unhappy that his recommendations for transfer and posting of local officials were not accepted, while the requests from other MLAs were accommodated. There is no immediate threat to the Congress government’s stability due to the resignation as the party has 105 MLAs in the 200-member Assembly and it also enjoys the support of Independents and smaller parties.
BENGAL, ASSAM CONGRESS UNITS IN DISARRAY AFTER POLL ROUT
In West Bengal and Assam, the Congress leaders and workers are very angry at the way the general secretaries handled the assembly elections and also disappointed with the Congress high command for making Jitin Prasada incharge of West Bengal and Jitendra Singh incharge of Assam. In Bengal, the state Congress leaders are upset with Jitin Prasada as well as the Congress Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who heads the Congress Bengal unit and has been responsible for the defeat of the party, which failed to open its account in its stronghold areas of Maldah, Murshidabad and Uttar Dinajpur and also failed to win a single seat in the West Bengal. Overall, the Congress could secure only 2.94 per cent votes in West Bengal. The election in Assam was handled by Jitendra Singh who roped in a PR agency to manage the poll. He also fielded Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the campaign but despite the large number of leaders, the Congress could not do much in the state. The Congress leaders of the state felt marginalized. Jitendra Singh’s explanation at the recently held Congress Working Committee meeting, putting the blame on other five factions in the state unit and the new regional parties the Raijor Dal and the Assam Jatiya Parishad which ate into the Congress votes for the loss. Party insiders said Singh should have also conveyed to the CWC that most senior Congress leaders were opposed to tie up with the All India United Democratic Front and had wanted a new PCC president. But the state leaders blamed Jitendra Singh for the defeat and alleged that Singh had lost two consecutive Lok Sabha polls and before getting the Assam assignment, he was in-charge of Odisha, where Congress failed to make any mark in either the Lok Sabha or Assembly elections last year. Congress sources in the dissenting camp insist that Rahul Gandhi will have to do a rethink on strategy and form a new team as you can’t keep on losing election after election.
PRIYANKA MISSIVE TO YOGI
After the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat elections Congress general secretary in charge Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi has now raised the issues affecting the middle class. In her two page letter to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday, she suggested fixing of the cost of treatment at private hospitals and launch of welfare measures to provide relief to people suffering amid the surge of Coronavirus pandemic in the state. She also suggested the UP government should immediately take measures to curb inflation. Priyanka Gandhi said that people are already burdened with increased electricity bills. “Please don’t raise even a single paisa,” wrote Priyanka. Saying that private schools are pressurizing guardians to deposit fees, she urged the BJP government to chalk out a plan so that schools as well as guardians can be helped out.
SHAILAJA’S ABSENCE FROM PINARAYI NEW TEAM CRITICISED
Shailaja Teacher, as KK Shailaja is known, and has earned international acclaim for her handling of the Nipah outbreak in 2018 and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as Kerala’s Health Minister in the previous government, has been dropped from Pinarayi Vijayan’s new Cabinet and instead given the responsibility as the ruling party’s whip in the Assembly. The decision not to retain her has triggered widespread criticism. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan clarified that the decision to drop Shailaja was made by the party. He further said that an exemption cannot be made for Shailaja, who no doubt had won much global praise for her efficient handling of Covid’s first wave in Kerala, as there were also other performing ministers in the last government. Many party members feel that the candidature of Shailaja in the assembly polls had helped the LDF to register a convincing victory and she won her election from Mattannur in Kannur with a record margin of 67,013 votes. (IPA)