Amid rift, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge seeks details of remarks by Navjot Singh Sidhu, others

Rajmeet Singh

Chandigarh, December 21

Recent events in the Punjab Congress have come under the scrutiny of the party high command.

Concerned over the war of words between loyalists of former PPCC chief Navjot Sidhu and the anti-Sidhu camp, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge is learnt to have sought details of statements and recordings of the various leaders, including Partap Bajwa and Sidhu, over the last few days.

Warring writes to state in-charge

• PPCC president Amarinder Raja Warring is learnt to have written to Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary about the conduct of his predecessor
• At a rally in Jagraon on Thursday, Warring, without naming Sidhu, said discipline should be maintained and it was not right to speak against party leaders in public

PPCC president Amarinder Raja Warring is learnt to have written to the Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary about the conduct of his predecessor. During the rally at Jagraon on Thursday, Warring, without naming Sidhu, said discipline should be maintained and it was not right to speak against party leaders in the public.

On the other hand, sources in the Sidhu camp said the issue had been brought to the notice of the party high command. The statement by Bajwa, targeting Sidhu after latter’s rally in Mehraj, Rampura Phul, had been flagged.

After Sidhu targeted former CM Charanjit Channi in his speech, Bajwa had advised him to desist from holding “own stages” and join his colleagues at events organised by the party.

Bajwa had said, “I would only request him to act with maturity. If the party had given you respect, digest it. You were PPCC president and saw the Congress come down from 78 to 18 in Vidhan Sabha in the 2022 Assembly elections”.

Only yesterday, some former MLAs, besides other leaders, had demanded that Sidhu should be expelled from the party.

In reaction, Sidhu wrote in his social media platform X, “I would be very happy if even a hundred Congressmen gather in a village or a city to propagate the party’s ideology. It doesn’t matter much which Congress leader they choose to have as a chief guest. It strengthens our party as more and more people getting involved will build the leadership at grassroot levels. Do people of Punjab believe in your party’s agenda and consider you as an alternative? – that is all that matters ….”

A PPCC office-bearer said on the recommendation of Warring in May last year, Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary had written to the party high command, recommending that a show-cause notice be issued to Sidhu for his alleged anti-party activities.