New Delhi, December 11
Even as the Congress high command is keen to resolve the problem of dissidence against the leadership of Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh in the next two days, the issue has taken a do or die dimension with state Agriculture Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal declaring to stay put in Delhi till she “sees the back of the Maharaja of Patiala.”

The three-member Congress panel comprising Mr Manmohan Singh, Ms Mohsina Kidwai and Mr Ahmad Patel are inexorably caught in a delicate situation with Ms Bhattal’s strident and open defiance.

Authoritative sources in the AICC acknowledged that the problem of dissidence had become acute despite their efforts to get the warring factions together to iron out irritants.

They also said that in the prevailing circumstances a change in leadership would amount to playing into the hands of the Shiromani Akali Dal and other forces inimical to the Congress wanting to create a split in the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.

While the dissidents sought to keep up the pressure on the Congress High Command, Capt Amarinder Singh received a shot in the arm with the party MPs maintaining that “nothing should be done which weakens the party’s ongoing drive against corruption..”

Mr Jagmeet Brar, convener of the Congress MPs forum from Punjab, told the media here tonight that he had no doubt that the Congress high command “will take serious view” of Ms Bhattal’s outburst against Capt Amarinder Singh.

Emphasising that he would have resigned had he been in Ms Bhattal’s place in the wake of the decision to file a chargesheet against her in an alleged embezzlement case, Mr Brar said the MPs would meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the three-member AICC panel tomorrow to express their views about the deepening crisis in the PPCC.

Capt Amarinder Singh, who returned here this evening from Malout, said that the crisis should be resolved quickly as it was adversely affecting the administration in Punjab.

He maintained that “I will abide by any decision of the Congress president. I was the PPCC chief for four years and now chief minister for two years at her behest. I won’t be a cause for embarrassment and will resign within seconds if Mrs Sonia Gandhi wants me to do so.”

He stoutly rebutted Ms Bhattal’s allegations that all 38 MLAs backing him were not present at the meeting with the AICC panel at Kapurthala House here last night.

He claimed that the AICC panel made a head count of the MLAs present and took note of the two letters of support received from the Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Assembly and a minister away to London.

About Ms Bhattal’s continuation in his cabinet now that charges were expected to be filed against her, Capt Amarinder Singh said that the AICC had to take a decision in this regard.

He regretted that the problems in the PPCC were not brought to his notice and worked out amicably in Chandigarh..