Shiv Sena claims 'old guard hampering Rahul Gandhi'; demands full-time Congress president

Weighing in on the Punjab Congress crisis, Shiv Sena blamed the old guard for purportedly preventing Rahul Gandhi from undertaking reforms in the party. Penning an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana on Friday, Executive Editor Sanjay Raut lauded the Wayanad MP for taking a "strong step" by appointed a Dalit leader as the Chief Minister of Punjab but lamented that Navjot Singh Sidhu announced his resignation as the PPCC president. While maintaining that BJP is responsible for precipitating the crisis in the state, Raut stressed that Congress cannot fight back without a full-time president. 

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut remarked, "Rahul Gandhi wants to renovate the fort. He wants to get it painted and plug the holes. However, the old guard is not letting Rahul Gandhi do so. It is clear that these persons have joined hands with BJP to stop Rahul Gandhi. They have accepted the assignment to sink Congress but how will it fight without a commander?" 

He added, "It is the wish of the people that Congress should wake up, enter the battlefield and usher in a new vigour in politics. But for that, Congress requires a full-time president. What is the use of a body without the head? There is no point in making concessions to Amarinder or Sidhu. BJP wants to swallow the Assembly by breaking Congress. This is funny. Even BJP cannot win without Congress and even BJP needs the Congress tonic. But when will the Congress leadership understand this?"

Punjab crisis

Barely a week into his tenure as the CM of Punjab, Charanjit Singh Channi encountered dissent within Congress as Navjot Singh Sidhu stepped down from his post. Observing that "the collapse of a man's character stems from the compromise corner", the former swashbuckling batsman affirmed that he will never compromise on Punjab's future and the agenda for the welfare of the state. Sources revealed that Sidhu was unhappy not only for being ignored for the CM's post but also for the appointment of Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota and Amar Preet Singh Deol as the DGP and Advocate General respectively.

While refraining from explicitly commenting on the Punjab crisis, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday warned that Pakistan might seek to exploit the current situation. Addressing a press briefing, he said, "In our party, there is no president so we don't know who is making these decisions. We know and yet we don't know. I believe that one of my senior colleagues has perhaps written or is about to write to Congress Interim president (Sonia Gandhi) to immediately convene a CWC so that a dialogue can take place as to why we are in this state". 

Later, former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh set the rumour mills abuzz by meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Delhi. Having resigned owing to the humiliation meted by the Congress leadership, Singh has ruled out joining BJP but vowed to defeat Sidhu from whichever seat he contests. However, sources told Republic TV that he will float a new party that will have a tacit understanding with like-minded parties in the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls. Meanwhile, Congress is likely to set up a coordination panel to address Sidhu's concerns.