Congress discord

At a time when the term of the Punjab government is only a few months away, the conflict in the ruling Congress was at its peak. Undoubtedly, this struggle is connected with the ambitions of power. It is an attempt to gain quadriplegia in power. It is synonymous with wanting a large share in power. In the current tenure of more than four years, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has consistently been the target of dissidents over controversies such as alleged corruption, inconclusive investigations into sacrilege cases and the state government’s grit over the horrific tragedy of spurious liquor last year. The head of the government was targeted. These attacks have intensified in recent days and there has been a demand for even a change of leadership in the state. Actually, one of the reasons for this attack is that the Congress is in a strong position in the state and it has better prospects in the upcoming elections. There is a lot of anger against the BJP-ruled Center in the state over three controversial agrarian reform laws enacted recently. In such a situation, the BJP’s land in the state seems to be falling apart. The Akali Dal has also not been able to gain the trust of the people due to its association with the BJP. The Aam Aadmi Party also seems to be losing its support base due to the ongoing factionalism in the organization. This is the reason why Congress leaders seem confident about the party’s lead in the elections to be held early next year. This belief is fueling the ambitions of the party leaders. Ambitious politicians are expecting a bigger role in power and party, due to which situations of confrontation are seen in the party. But Captain Amarinder, who belongs to the royal family, is a veteran of politics and instead of coming on the defensive, he is hitting the bouncers of the dissidents.

In recent days, the discontent in the party has been exposed in public forums by disgruntled leaders. Attacks on the head of the state were loudly spoken through the media. Disgruntled leaders have been accusing the Chief Minister of keeping distance from the party leaders and of authoritarian behaviour. These disgruntled leaders have been accusing the criminal syndicate operating in the state especially of patronizing land, sand, drug and illicit liquor mafia. Former cricketer and former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is often in controversies, has been vigorously raising the matter of sacrilege in the year 2015. There are allegations that the Chief Minister is trying to save the culprits. The matter has even reached the Congress party high command and several committees have tried to resolve the matter. At the same time, the Captain says that he will not allow two poles of power to become in the party. This statement was on the possibility that there was talk of making the disgruntled leader the party president. Now the supporters of the Chief Minister are also seen in an aggressive posture. They are demanding from the high command that the old-faithful people of the party should be given preference. On the other hand, Captain Amarinder Singh and his supporters have been alleging that Sidhu is trying to weaken the party for his political ambitions. Despite the intervention of the central leadership, the dispute does not seem to be resolved. Undoubtedly, the good message of the controversy is not being seen among the public in the present odd circumstances. After all, should such controversies be fueled when the state is battling the biggest pandemic of the century? This is the time to heal the wounds of the people who are suffering from the pandemic. To bring the economy back on track by giving support to the state which is facing financial crisis. Undoubtedly, at a time when only three states in the country are left with Congress chief ministers, the party may face an anti-incumbency wave in 2022.