Assembly elections are to be held in Punjab next year, but all the parties have already started preparations for it. The conflict regarding leadership has also started in Congress. Charanjit Singh Channi has hinted at rebellion. Earlier in the Haryana elections, Congress had suffered a huge loss due to the rebellious attitude of Kumari Shailja. Now this can happen in Punjab also. Politics of Punjab and Channi’s rebellion were discussed in the program ‘Coffee on Kurukshetra’. During this time, senior journalist Vinod Agnihotri, senior journalist Alok Mehta and India TV Political Editor Devendra Parasar were present as guests along with the show’s anchor and India TV Senior Executive Editor Saurav Sharma.
‘Kurukshetra over Coffee’ discussed in detail the politics of Punjab and Haryana, especially the deep factionalism and discord within the Congress party. At present, there is a fight for supremacy going on in Punjab Congress between the factions of Charanjit Singh Channi and Amarinder Singh Raja Wadding. Channi, who has been a former Chief Minister, is angry that he has not been made the state president nor has he been declared the face of the Chief Minister. On the other hand, Raja Vadding, a member of Rahul Gandhi’s team, has been retained as the president.
Congress’s bet failed in 2022
It was told in the discussion that Congress had conducted an ‘experiment’ by removing Captain Amarinder Singh in the 2022 elections, which failed and the party lost the election it had won. Now again a similar situation is emerging where Channi is adopting a rebellious attitude and is reluctant to meet in-charge Bhupesh Baghel. In Haryana too, differences between big leaders (Bhupendra Singh Hooda, Randeep Surjewala and Kumari Selja) have come to the fore openly on the stage. Surjewala openly talked about his turn with Hooda, which shows that there is an ongoing tussle regarding leadership there too. Experts believe that Congress in Haryana has been adept at ‘snatching defeat from the mouth of victory’.
BJP’s central leadership strong
The discussion emphasized that factionalism exists in the BJP too (like in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and UP), but the strong central leadership and organization of the BJP (RSS) prevents it from coming to the surface. In BJP, decisions are imposed in the name of the organization, whereas in Congress, when the central leadership is weak, regional satraps become unruly. For example, in Assam, even a powerful leader like Hemant Vishwa Sharma has to obey the organization in the selection of ministers.
Rahul Gandhi’s negligence
It was said in the show that when the crisis is deepening in election states like Punjab and Haryana, Rahul Gandhi is abroad for about 20-25 days and no information about him is available. According to experts, the unavailability of the leader at the time of crisis proves to be harmful for the party, because a leader like Channi can only accept the assurances of Rahul Gandhi.
BJP can benefit from Saini
BJP is playing the ‘Punjabiyat’ card to increase its penetration in Punjab. They are promoting Jat Sikh leaders like Ravneet Singh Bittu. Also, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is being used in the border areas of Punjab, as his Sikh background and links with the Saini community could benefit the BJP. BJP is also preparing to make the issue of drugs a big election weapon. The conclusion of the entire discussion was that Congress has failed to resolve its internal discord, while BJP is trying to make its place in Punjab in a very strategic manner.
Click on the video given at the top to see the complete discussion in detail.
(Disclaimer: This article is based on the discussion at the event and the views expressed during the program are the personal views of the guests.)
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SK Sharma is a content writer who writes on news, entertainment, and lifestyle topics. She has over four years of experience and is known for conveying information in simple and clear language.
