Sonia Gandhi asks Punjab Congress to stay united to repeat 2017 win ahead of 2022 polls

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday asked the Punjab Congress MPs to work with unity and cooperation and embark on the 2017 Assembly Polls-like victory in the state, MP Gurjeet S Aujla told ANI. "Congress president Sonia Gandhi called Congress MPs from Punjab and asked them to work unitedly to strengthen the party in the state and repeat victory in Assembly Polls," Aujla stated, adding that the MPs from Punjab all gathered at Pratap Singh Bajwa's residence to sort the ongoing political tussle within Punjab’s Congress. 

All Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs of Congress from the state of Punjab met at Bajwa's residence in Delhi to discuss issues related to the state unit, an ANI report confirmed. Among those that were present were Congress MPs Manish Tewari, Jasbir Gill, Shamsher Singh Dullo, Mohd Siddiqui, Praneet Kaur, Santokh Chaudhary, Ravneet Singh Bittu. 

As the rift between the Congress’ Punjab party members flared, CM Captain Amarinder Singh earlier this month had agreed to give a ministerial berth to disgruntled MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu who had tendered his resignation on grounds delayed justice towards the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015. Congress Party’s infighting among the MPs comes at a crucial timing as the state geared up for the Assembly Elections, slated to be held next year. 

On Sunday, Congress announced in an official release signed by Congress leader KC Venugopal, that it was appointing Sidhu as the president of the Punjab Congress while appointing Sangat Singh Gizian, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Pawan Goel, and Kuljit Singh Nagra as the working presidents. The  Congress High Command has been negotiating with both estranged factions of the Congress leaders as MLAs stood divided in their support to Captain and Sidhu. 

Congress' Punjab state unit's incertitude between Captain-Sidhu

Sidhu earlier last week also met with Congress’ Punjab state unit’s in-charge Sunil Jakhar while Amarinder Singh and Congress general secretary in charge of Punjab met Sonia Gandhi. Rawat reinstated that there was no question of replacing Captain due to his popularity among the people of Punjab amid Navjot Singh Sidhu’s incessant criticism of Captain Amarinder Singh's administration. Despite that, the Congress party acknowledged Captain Amarinder for spearheading his win in the 2017 Punjab elections. Sources revealed earlier that Congress had established a three-member panel to dismiss indifferences among the party’s Punjab leadership group.