Punjab panel submits partial report on internal crisis; Partap Bajwa leads anti-CM pitch

The three-member panel formed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi submitted a partial report on the Punjab internal tussle to the party high command on Thursday. This committee comprising of Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge, ex-Delhi MP JP Agarwal and AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab Harish Rawat was constituted on May 28 in the wake of the increasing rift between the Navjot Singh Sidhu and the Amarinder Singh factions. In this process, it met Sidhu, the Punjab CM, MLAs and MPs to ascertain their views ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls.

Meanwhile, sources revealed that Congress Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa is camping in Delhi and has met several party leaders. He has been pressing for the Punjab CM's ouster, sources added. Amid the deliberations in the national capital, a full-throng poster battle has commenced in Punjab with separate hoardings of Amarinder Singh and the cricketer-turned-politician have come up in Patiala and Amritsar. Previously, sources told Republic TV that AICC in charge of Punjab Harish Rawat and state unit Sunil Jakhar are likely to be replaced. 

Clash between Punjab CM & Navjot Singh Sidhu

While Navjot Sidhu has continued to be an MLA after resigning from the Cabinet in July 2019, he maintained a distance from party activities. Moreover, he has been repeatedly attacking the state government and the Punjab CM over the purported delay in justice in the incidents of desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib and the subsequent police firing incident. Though Singh and Sidhu attempted to resolve their differences over tea on March 17, 2021, a positive outcome proved to be elusive.

The relationship took a turn for the worse after the Punjab & Haryana HC quashed the SIT probe into the firing cases on April 9. Breaking his silence on Sidhu's attacks, Singh on April 27 dared him to contest from Patiala in the 2022 polls and predicted that he will lose his deposit. Furthermore, he contended that the cricketer-turned-politician wanted to join some other party.

Ruling out the possibility of replacing Sunil Jakhar as the Punjab Congress president, the CM asserted that he would oppose the suggestion of giving the top post to Sidhu. Additionally, he also dismissed the claim of the ex-BJP MP on the Deputy CM's position. In another development, the cricketer-turned-politician has dared Amarinder Singh to take action amid speculation that the Punjab Vigilance Bureau is investigating some allegations against him and his aides.