CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: Amid the war of words between Congress leaders and Amarinder Singh over his friendship with a Pakistan-based journalist, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu asserted that Punjab must come back to its real issues which concern people.
Earlier, Congress MP Manish Tewari said chaos and anarchy was playing out in the state unit and that the people are disgusted by the daily soap opera. In a series of tweet, Sidhu said he would stick to the real issues and not let them take a backseat.
Expressing dismay over the "guttural language" used against each other that "even fishwives would not use", Tewari asked whether the party thought the people were not disgusted by the "daily soap opera".
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had said a probe would be conducted to ascertain whether Alam has links with Pakistan's spy agency ISI, prompting Amarinder Singh to accuse Randhawa of resorting to personal attacks.
“The choice is clear between irreparable damage and the last chance for damage control. Who will bring back state’s resources to the state’s coffers, instead of them going to private pockets ??’’
Hitting out at former state in-charge Harish Rawat, Tewari, who is a member of G23 leaders, said: “I have never seen such chaos and anarchy as what is playing out in Punjab Congress. Repeated open defiance of AICC by a PCC President, colleagues squabbling publicly with each other like children. Guttural language against each other that even fish wives would not use.”
"Since you (Rawat) referred to me in this interview I also have great regard and respect for you going back to days when I headed the National Students' Union of India and you the Congress Sevadal. However, in my 40 years plus in the Congress I have never seen such chaos and anarchy as what is playing out in INC Punjab today," he said on Twitter.
For the past five months, he said, it was Punjab Congress versus Congress.
“Do we think that people of Punjab are not disgusted by this daily soap opera? Irony is that those who complained loudest of transgressions and aberrations were unfortunately and continue to be worst offenders themselves.”
Slamming the Kharge panel, Tewari asked, “History would record that the appointment of the Committee that ostensibly heard perceived and real grievances was a serious error of judgement. Where is progress on issues that agitated these MLAs?”
Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu slammed Amarinder Singh on Saturday alleging that not a single posting of any official took place in the state without "money or gifts" to Aroosa Alam.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, Tewari questioned the progress on issues like the 2015 sacrilege incidents, drug menace and power purchase pacts.
The Congress on Friday appointed Rajasthan Revenue Minister Harish Chaudhary as the Congress' new in-charge for party affairs in the poll-bound Punjab, relieving Harish Rawat on his request.
Rawat, a former chief minister, is spearheading the Congress' bid to regain power in Uttarakhand by ousting the BJP.
"Repeated open defiance of AICC by a PCC president, colleagues squabbling publicly with each other like children. Guttural language against each other that even fishwives would not use. For the past five months, it is INC Punjab vs INC Punjab. Do we think that people of Punjab are not disgusted by this daily soap opera?," tweeted Tewari.
He also termed the Mallikarjun Kharge-led three-member panel formed by the Congress earlier to end factionalism in its Punjab unit as "a serious error of judgement".
"Irony is that those who complained loudest of transgressions and aberrations were unfortunately and continue to be worst offenders themselves. History would record that the appointment of the committee that ostensibly heard perceived and real grievances was a serious error of judgement.
"Where is progress on the issues that agitated these MLAs and other eminences -- bargari, drugs, power PPAs, illegal sand mining. Has there been any movement forward?" tweeted Tewari.
Rawat played a key role in bringing in Sidhu as the Punjab Congress chief despite strong opposition from then chief minister Amarinder Singh, who subsequently resigned alleging humiliation by the party.
Rawat's role was also crucial in Amarinder Singh being replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister of Punjab.
But later, Sidhu resigned as the Punjab Congress chief while raising a question over the appointments of the state police chief and state advocate general.
On October 15, Sidhu said that said his concerns had been resolved and the Congress asserted he would continue as the head of the Punjab unit.
Meanwhile, differences within Chhattisgarh Congress spilled out in the open again on Sunday when a party leader, considered as a supporter of state Health Minister TS Singh Deo, was allegedly stopped and heckled while he was delivering a speech during a convention of party workers in Jashpur district.
AICC's secretary in-charge of Chhattisgarh Saptagiri Ulaka was also present at the event.
A video of the purported incident shows former Jashpur district Congress president Pawan Agrawal addressing the function from the stage.
Suddenly another leader, Iftikhar Hasan, is seen trying to snatch a mike from Agrawal and pushing him away.
The convention was held in a community hall in Jashpur town, located around 400 km away from Raipur.
Agrawal said he was allegedly heckled and manhandled by Hasan and others when he questioned the delay in elevating TS Singh Deo as chief minister as per the purported power-sharing agreement during his speech.
"As a Jashpur Congress president from 2013 till 2018 end, I worked extensively for the party in the district. In the 2018 assembly elections, Congress snatched all three seats- Pathalgaon, Jashpur and Kunkuri from the district from BJP. After the assembly elections, I was removed from the post of district president despite my efforts for the party's victory," Agrawal told PTI over the phone.
He claimed the agreement of rotational chief ministership was made when Congress came to power in 2018.
"After the completion of half of the five-year term of (incumbent chief minister) Bhupesh Baghel, why there is a delay in replacing him with Singh Deo ji? I was raising the same issue in front of Ulaka ji. But supporters of Baghel attacked me on the stage," he said.
Kunkuri MLA UD Minj, Jashpur MLA Vinay Kumar Bhagat, Jashpur district Congress president Manoj Sagar Yadav was also present on the stage, he said.
Meanwhile, Hasan refuted Agrawal's claim.
The Chhattisgarh BJP also shared the video clip on Twitter with a post saying the incident reflects the culture of the Congress party.
"There was a fight on the stage during the Congress event. Congress culture was seen. In the race for the chair in @INCChhattisgarh, now there is a fight too! When the leader reminded Rahul Gandhi of the promise of a two and a half years formula, he was assaulted in front of the in-charge," the state BJP tweeted.
The tussle for power between Baghel and Singh Deo appears to have quietened at the top, but the feud is very much visible at the lower level in the ruling Congress.
Last month, a local unit of the Congress in Bilaspur had demanded the expulsion of a party MLA after he protested against the registration of a police case against another local leader, a supporter of Singh Deo.
The demand for a change of guard was renewed after Baghel completed two-and-a-half years as chief minister in June 2021.
The Singh Deo camp claimed the high command in 2018 had agreed to hand over the post to him after the government completed half its term.
It appeared that Baghel had won that round when he told reporters upon return that party leader Rahul Gandhi had agreed to visit the state 'on his invitation', and those talking about rotating the CM's post were promoting political instability.
However, Singh Deo had said the decision on the leadership change lies with the party high command.
Several Congress MLAs, considered close to Baghel, had visited Delhi multiple times in the past two months apparently to express solidarity to the CM.
(With PTI Inputs)