News Analysis India

Tag: Congress infighting

  • Sidhu-Channi duel halts as CM accepts advocate general’s resignation

    By Online Desk

    Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi on Tuesday accepted the resignation of state advocate general APS Deol — a demand made by Congress state unit president Navjot Singh Sidhu amid unease between the two leaders over appointments.

    A sulking Sidhu had set removal of advocate general APS Deol as a precondition for the withdrawal of his resignation as Congress state unit chief.

    On Monday, AICC Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary had held a meeting with Channi and Sidhu, amid unease between the two leaders over some government appointments.

    The meeting was held just a few hours after Sidhu called a press conference and questioned his party’s government in the state over the status of the investigation into the 2015 Kotkapura police firing incident.

    Cabinet Minister Pargat Singh, considered close to Sidhu, was also present at the meeting, sources said.

    During the meeting, it is learned that Sidhu had raised the issue of appointment of APS Deol and Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota as the state’s advocate general and officiating director general of police (DGP), respectively.

    ALSO READ | ‘Choose between Congress chief or compromised officer’: Sidhu attacks Punjab government again

    Last week, Sidhu had said he had withdrawn his resignation as the Punjab Congress chief but also put a precondition that he would resume the charge the day a new advocate general is appointed in place of Deol and a panel for the appointment of a new DGP comes from the UPSC.

    Talking to reporters on Monday, cabinet minister Raj Kumar Verka said Channi and Sidhu held a meeting here and “whatever misunderstandings will soon be removed”.

    Asked how differences between both leaders will end, Verka said Chaudhary had discussed issues with Channi and Sidhu separately and jointly.

    “There were some issues and they have been sorted to a large extent today and whatever remaining issues will be resolved soon,” he said.

    To a question on replacing the AG and DGP, he said, “You will get answers on all these things very soon.”

    On November 2, Sidhu, Channi and Chaudhary had gone to Uttarakhand to offer prayers at the Himalaya shrine of Kedarnath.

    The same day, they along with other senior leaders had held a meeting to discuss strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections. At that time, Sidhu had said that “all is well”.

  • Rajasthan rejig on the cards; Pilot meets Rahul, Priyanka

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  After settling the Punjab leadership tussle, the Congress leadership seems to have turned its focus to Rajasthan. Former Congress president  Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday met Sachin Pilot with cabinet expansion in the state on the cards.

    During the meeting, sources said there was a discussion on pending cabinet expansion in Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot government and induction of MLAs from Pilot camp, as was promised to him after he was wooed back to party following his rebellion last year. 

    Pilot, who was removed as deputy chief minister and state Congress chief after the rebellion, is also demanding inclusion of his people in various boards, corporations and other political positions. The meeting, second within a week’s time, comes close on the heels of the party going for leadership change in Punjab and getting a new chief minister by replacing party veteran Amarinder Singh ahead of assembly polls in the state.

    Sources said that as of now, leadership change in the state is unlikely but ahead of Rajasthan assembly election in 2023, the party may bring him at the helm of affairs and project as the face of the party.  “The situation in Punjab and Rajasthan is different as Captain (Amarinder Singh) lost the faith of the majority of the MLAs while Gehlot enjoys the support of most legislators. Moreover, the party as of now would not want to take chances, giving the BJP any opportunity to destablise the government,” they added.    

    The party has officially maintained that the cabinet expansion has been delayed due to ill-health of Gehlot but a senior leader said that the chief minister is not agreeing to the formula worked out by party high command. “Pilot has been assured cabinet expansion as soon as early next month and he has also been offered a key role in the AICC,” said sources, adding that earlier he had turned down central position on ground that he would want to focus on Rajasthan.

    There were reports that the party wants him to take charge of election-bound Gujarat as the party is looking to appoint AICC in-charge for the state, a post that fell vacant following the demise of Rajeev Satav.

    No official word on discussionThough there was no official word on what transpired at the meeting, sources said the impending cabinet expansion and organisational rejig were discussed. Pilot has been pushing for Cabinet expansion for long.

  • Punjab done, Congress now moves to settle Rajasthan issues

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: After settling issues in the Punjab unit, the Congress high command is now focusing on Rajasthan to find a solution to the ongoing tussle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former state party chief Sachin Pilot. A decision is expected soon.  

    KC Venugopal, general secretary (organisation) is visiting Jaipur where he is scheduled to meet Gehlot, Pilot, party MLAs and leaders from the state before an organisational rejig in the state unit. There has been long pending demand for a reshuffle in Rajasthan Congress and Pilot has sent several reminders to Congress chief regarding the same.

    “I am a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan and visiting Jaipur for related works,” Venugopal said before leaving for Jaipur.  

    Sources said that the changes in the state unit are expected “as early as next week” with people from Pilot’s group likely to be inducted in the state cabinet, organization, and state boards.

    ALSO READ | Navjot Singh Sidhu takes over as Punjab Congress chief

    It’s been a year since the rebellion by the Pilot camp but the Congress high command has failed to address issues flagged by the former deputy CM. A three-member committee constituted to settle the issue failed to do so in the last year.

    Pilot and MLAs supporting him were removed from the state cabinet and organizational positions after they rebelled against Gehlot. Pilot has maintained that he is not looking for any posts but that his men be accommodated in the cabinet and other organisational posts in the state.  

    “After settling trouble between Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and PCC chief Navjot Sigh Sidhu, the high command wants issues in the Rajasthan unit to be addressed at the earliest. There have been a couple of meetings in the last one week in Delhi and now, the general secretary in-charge organization is in Jaipur to address it. Decisions are expected soon,” sources added.   

    Pilot, who was offered a post in the AICC, has been eyeing the chief minister’s post as he was promised by the top leadership after the party’s election win in 2018. He was assured by former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra that his concerns will be addressed before the 2023 assembly election.  

  • Infighting in party’s state units blamed for Congress’ defeat in assembly elections

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Infighting in the state Congress units, mistakes in candidate selection and the choice of alliances were behind the Congress’ defeat in the recently-held Assembly elections in five states, according to a report by a panel constituted by party chief Sonia Gandhi.

    The panel, whose members included former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan, Salman Khurshid, Manish Tewari, Vincent Pala and Jothi Mani, submitted its report to Sonia. The report said factionalism or infighting was present in all the states that went to polls, and it has caused the party dearly.

    The panel has also made recommendations for the upcoming Assembly elections.

    In Kerala, differences between groups led by Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala hurt the party’s prospects Fielding several new faces also did not help. The Left front government made a history by winning a second consecutive term.

    In Assam, the panel blamed the party’s alliance with AIUDF as the main reason for defeat. Also, some party leaders blamed AICC in-charge Jitendra Singh for bypassing the state leadership in deciding on campaigning and alliance strategies.

    The party leadership was also accused of ignoring issues faced by people in upper Assam. In West Bengal, the party leaders said the polarisation between the BJP and the TMC impacted the party’s fortunes. Some leaders also pointed at the role of state chief, alleging he acted without consultations.

  • Fresh cracks in Rajasthan Congress as Pilot loyalist MLAs accuse govt of bias against SC, ST lawmakers

    Express News Service
    JAIPUR: The tussle between the Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot camps in Rajasthan has reached the Congress High Command in Delhi.

    Three Congress lawmakers in Rajasthan, who were part of Sachin Pilot’s revolt against CM Ashok Gehlot last year, have accused the state government of discriminating against MLAs belonging to SC, ST communities.

    The rift in the state unit has intensified over the statements of three Congress MLAs — Ramesh Meena, Murari Lal Meena, and Ved Prakash Solanki. The trio claimed that the government is trying to suppress the voice of MLAs representing the SC, ST, and minorities as they have allotted them seats in the Assemblywithout microphones. Congress leader Ramesh Meena even threatened to resign if their problems are not addressed and that he has sought a meeting with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to discuss the matter.

    During the recent debate in the Assembly, many MLAs were provided seats with no microphones. Ramesh Meena and Ved Prakash Solanki had trained their guns on Chief Whip Mahesh Joshi claiming that Joshi did not show any sensitivity or seriousness in providing seats for SC, ST, and minority MLAs. They also argued that while some MLAs are given a chance to speak in the House on many occasions, several SC, ST, and minority MLAs are ignored.   

    According to Congress sources, the state unit is taking the charges made by Pilot loyalists quite seriously but senior leaders have instructed all party leaders not to make any public statements on this ticklish issue. While the state Congress has collected all statements and video footage of allegations madeby the MLAs in order to appraise the party High Command over the issue, they refused to make any comments on the issue.

    Even Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi declined to comment. “I don’t want to say anything on this issue. In case I am asked to give a report, I shall readily give the same to the party. Beyond this, I don’t wish to say anything.”   

    The allegations from the MLAs of the Pilot camp have come just ahead of by-polls to four Assembly seats in the state. The by-polls are expected to be held in the next two months. This controversy is a sign that the Congress government in Rajasthan may now be heading for fresh trouble.