Congress mess
The irony is not lost on anyone. At a time when the Congress is trying to bring together diverse political parties with the aim of forming a cohesive Opposition, it is struggling to set its own house in order. Precious few states have Congress chief ministers — Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel are facing no-holds-barred dissidence, while unrest is simmering in the Rajasthan party unit. The elevation of Navjot Singh Sidhu as the PPCC chief by the high command, a decision begrudgingly accepted by the CM, has set the cat among the pigeons. The party is justified in picking a younger, popular leader to bolster its electoral prospects, but the creation of two power centres has caused a deep split in the Punjab unit. It took a rebellion by four ministers and several MLAs for AICC general secretary Harish Rawat to clarify that the Congress would fight the 2022 Assembly polls under Capt Amarinder’s leadership. This should have been stated in no uncertain terms right at the outset, when Sidhu took over as the state party chief. The Congress needs to dispel the growing perception that the top brass is empowering Sidhu to weaken Capt Amarinder. Playing musical chairs in the election year is nothing but a recipe for disaster. Such moves will not only undermine the party’s credibility but also destabilise the government.
In Chhattisgarh, Health Minister TS Singh Deo is snapping at Baghel’s heels. Deo claims that according to a rotational arrangement worked out after the Congress came to power in December 2018, he should be given the CM’s post for the second half of the present term. The high command is backing Baghel, but it has failed to clear the air about Deo’s contention. An uneasy calm prevails in Rajasthan, over a year after rebel leader Sachin Pilot was removed both as the Deputy CM and the state party chief.
The BJP has repeatedly vowed to make India ‘Congress-mukt’. The least the Congress can do is to avoid scoring own goals that may help the saffron party move closer to achieving its goal.
