Punjab: Rift in Congress can be costly, party leaders warn
Punjab: The infighting in the Punjab Congress may cost it heavily in the upcoming Ludhiana (West) assembly by-poll as the party high command has failed to curb factionalism despite cases of indiscipline by senior leaders. This apprehension was expressed by several party leaders after the rift in the Congress came to the fore during the Sultanpur Lodhi rally where party leaders demanded disciplinary action against Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh. State Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Waring and Gurdaspur Lok Sabha MP Sukhjinder Randhawa had also asked the party leadership to identify “sleeper cells” from other parties. Just 2 km away from the Congress venue, Rana Gurjit’s son and independent MLA from Sultanpur Lodhi Rana Inder Pratap Singh held a parallel rally. Though his father did not join the MLA’s rally, sources said he played a key role in garnering support for the rally.
The differences in the party have come out in the open even as AICC general secretary and Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel has asked Congress leaders not to vent their dirty words in public. Though Baghel was not available for comment, Punjab affairs co-incharge Alok Sharma sought to downplay the issue. “The Congress had organised the Parivartan rally in Sultanpur Lodhi and the other rally was held by an independent MLA. The party has nothing to do with it,” he said. However, a senior Congress leader said the party high command should have acted in time to resolve the issue. “Whether it was the initial rhetoric against Waring by Rana Gurjeet or the counter-attack on Rana by leaders of the rival faction, the party high command should have acted in time to nip the feud in the bud,” the leader said. “Now, the rival factions have started attacking each other at a time when the bypolls are drawing near,” the leader said. Another leader cautioned the party against conceding a “self-goal”, saying the upcoming bypolls could either prove to be a “take-off point” for the BJP ahead of the 2027 assembly elections or an opportunity for the Congress to re-establish itself among urban Hindu voters. “Giving a message about infighting in the Congress at this juncture is a self-goal,” the leader said.
