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 101st 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.
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