State Congress reshuffle: Rahul begins final round of talks today

NEW DELHI: Days after the Congress said it wanted former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to play a “major role in the state elections,” Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has called party legislators from the state for final discussions on the leadership issue, starting tomorrow.

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 7

Days after the Congress said it wanted former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to play a “major role in the state elections,” Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has called party legislators from the state for final discussions on the leadership issue, starting tomorrow.

Rahul will meet the first batch of MLAs from tomorrow, among them is Congress Legislature Party Leader Sunil Jakhar, a die-hard Captain loyalist.

The second and last batch of MLAs has been invited for a meeting on October 12 as Rahul works out a balance between his Bihar campaign priorities and those on resolving Punjab factionalism. The party is desperate to win Punjab, the only state where it has hopes of revival in the 2017 poll.

Top party sources said the leadership wanted to have a final word with the MLAs on the issue of state leadership before taking a decision. The Congress is waiting for Amarinder to return from London before it makes an announcement. Captain is expected to return on October 9.

The Tribune has learnt that Amarinder had recently rejected a proposal of the leadership to have a joint meeting with the incumbent PPCC president Partap Bajwa. Captain has, in the recent past, met party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul thrice while Bajwa has met Sonia only once – on September 3.

With Captain keeping the cards close to his chest about what he would do if Ambika Soni, a potential candidate, was named the Punjab Congress chief, the Congress continues to be under tremendous strain as it attempts a delicate balancing act in the state where it wants to take Jats, Hindus, Dalits and OBCs along.

Captain is himself keen on the PCC chief’s position with the party in the process of getting him on board to agree on another leader while he is made campaign committee chief.

Although Captain recently told The Tribune he would go with the party’s choice on the matter, the leadership continues to be wary about his moves if someone else was given the post.