Rahul Gandhi has ditched Punjab at crucial juncture where factionalism in Congress has intensified on poll eve to visit Italy

 

Rahul Gandhi performs vanishing  act as Congress prepares to face existential challenge in Punjab and UP 

Ground Zero

Jagtar Singh

 

Former Congress president and now de facto chief Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to kick start his party’s poll campaign in Punjab on January 3 in the election year 2022 from the same village of Killi Chahalan near Moga from where the Shiromani Akali Dal had put the party into election gear on its 101^st anniversary conference on December 14 last.

Suddenly it was given out that the rally had been postponed and the reason being speculated upon was the proposed  mega event by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Ferozepur on January 5 in the state.

However,  it has now been officially announced that he has gone to Italy for about a fortnight on a personal visit. His priorities are different.

He left India as the screening committee for Punjab was finalising the list of candidates that was supposed to be announced early this time unlike in previous elections.

The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party, the two major challenger to the Congress in Punjab, have taken the lead and their candidates are already preparing for the big fight.

The Assembly elections in Punjab and UP are due in February next.

The Congress in Punjab had received a massive mandate in the last Assembly election in 2017 but Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh virtually went into hibernation and the party leadership was forced to replace him with low profile Dalit face Charanjit Singh Channi a few weeks back thereby dashing the hopes of highly ambitious state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu who claims to have Mantra for uplift of the state.

Rahul Gandhi has deserted the party at the time when the situation in the Punjab Congress is turning hopeless due to acute power struggle. Sidhu has been trying to dictate the party publicly to declare him the commander of the fight that means the chief ministerial face.

At least three of the Congress MLAs have already defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party that has entered the poll arena with full gusto despite that fact that this saffron party does not command that extensive a support base in Punjab enough to facilitate in the pilot seat. The BJP design seems to be deeper, more than making its presence felt in the electoral domain.

The BJP has been contesting in Punjab since 1997 in alliance with the Akali Dal but the alliance fell under weight of the farmers struggle. The BJP this time has replaced the Shiromani Akali Dal with the splinter Akali faction led by Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and the Punjab Lok Congress formed by Capt Amarinder Singh.

Yet another formation that has been floated is the Sanyukat Samaj Morcha constituted by 22 of the farmer organisations that were part of the longest ever farm struggle.

It is Punjab and not UP that is more crucial to the very existence of the Congress at the national level.

However, the problems of the Congress in Punjab refuse to die mainly due to bloated ego of some leaders.

Sidhu has refused to reconcile to the announcement by the party leadership that the elections would be contested under collective leadership.

Sidhu has been systematically targeting Channi over several of the decisions while projecting what he calls his Punjab Model for taking the laggard state into the higher order of development. Channi is perceived to have consolidated the extensive Dalit vote bank.

It is said that retention of power in Punjab can catalyse revival of the Congress at the national level as that would help in the consolidation of Rahul’s leadership who earlier resigned from the party presidency.

It seems, however, that  realising the gravity of situation in Punjab, he has lost all hopes.

In UP, the fight is not for forming government but re-entering the state that for years was its bastion and was subsequently wiped out.

Moreover, it is her sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who has taken over the command of the fight there herself.

The main issue is Punjab.

Rahul has the reputation of being a part-time politician. However, he seemed to be getting devoted to the job full time at one stage but has now left India at the time when his presence was the most needed not only to launch the poll campaign formally but also to undertake fire-fighting operations. He had exhibited the ability to take strong decision when he axed Capt Amarinder Singh.

The Shiromani Akali Dal is already in full throttle and party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal has been in the field for weeks addressing several rallies every day.

The Congress has to set its house in order before the damage become irreparable.  

Punjab can hope for a new dawn in 2022.