New Delhi, February 25
In an effort not to disturb the balance in Punjab, the Congress High Command is unlikely to appoint a new PPCC chief immediately to replace Capt Amarinder Singh even after his election as the leader of the legislature party.
Sources in the AICC said they were against disturbing the balance in the PPCC after its victory in the just-concluded Assembly elections in Punjab.
With the Congress regaining power in the sensitive border state, the party think tank believes that Capt Amarinder Singh should wear both the caps of being the Chief Minister as well the President of the PPCC.
Though such an arrangement goes contrary to the principle of “one man, one post,” the Congress leadership is of the view that the PPCC should be given time to consolidate itself before effecting organisational changes in the state unit of the party.
AICC sources are quick to point out that once the dust settles down in Punjab with a Congress government firmly in place, the Congress High Command will zero in on appointing a new PPCC chief in place of Capt Amarinder Singh.
The majority achieved by the Congress at the hustings in the 117-member Punjab Assembly is wafer thin. Therefore, the AICC wants the party to work overtime in keeping its flock together and avoid separate centres of power developing in the state.
Lobbies are already at work to secure the post of the PPCC President for their leaders. There is an underlying apprehension of fissures developing in the PPCC which can create problems to the stability of the Congress government in Punjab.
Even though the AICC maintains that the ministry formation exercise in Punjab will not be a complex one, this will inevitably lead to heart burning among those left out in the cold. There is, however, no doubt that the ministry in Punjab will have to be a representative one without being unwieldy.
Even though the thumb rule is to limit the ministry to 10 per cent of the strength of the Assembly, most chief ministers have forsaken such norms for a jumbo council of ministers because of fractured verdicts and to avoid any threat to their leadership.
