New Delhi, January 4
Hopes of an early resolution of differences entangling Punjab Congress legislators have brightened with the central leadership directing senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee to hear the grievances of all party MLAs.
Mr Mukherjee, along with the party’s general secretary and in charge of Punjab affairs, Ms Mohsina Kidwai, and Dr Manmohan Singh would hear the views of 64 MLAs for two days, beginning tomorrow.
The senior leader of the party has been roped in as the leadership crisis in the state has prolonged for a long time and its continuance could mar the party’s prospects in the Lok Sabha poll.
Sources indicated that one could not hope of any immediate package to placate the dissidents. However, efforts would be made to assuage their feelings during the two day meet.
While the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, hosted a dinner at
Kapurthala House in the Capital on Sunday evening for his supporters in the Congress Legislative Party to finalise their strategy, the dissidents legislators, led by the Agriculture Minister, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, assembled at the “bhog” of Choudhary Jagat Singh to finalise their strategy.
Some of the dissident legislators were apprehensive of Ms Kidwai sitting on the panel as they accused her of acting in a partisan manner.
“She has been appraised of views of all legislators. If Mr Mukherjee has been roped in, it is only an attempt to look at the issue from a fresh perspective. If she is present at the meeting, the legislators might not speak out their mind and hold out their grievances against the Chief Minister, as there are reports that Capt Amarinder Singh might not be changed. Any word against the Chief Minister might cost us dearly,” a dissident leader said.
A section of the dissident legislators even mooted the idea of boycotting the meeting as a protest against her presence at the meeting.
The two factions had failed to sink their differences even after three weeks. While Capt Amarinder Singh had made reconciliatory moves and even changed some key officers in the Chief Minister’s office, the dissidents maintained that they would not rest until their demand “save Amarinder or save Congress” was met.
The ongoing tussle between the two Punjab Congress factions has harmed the interest of the party in the state. The Shiromani Akali Dal, which lost the Assembly poll, has springed back in the state and is optimistic of good performance in the Lok Sabha poll.
The sources indicated that the panel would ask the legislators to keep the differences aside in
view
of the larger battle of the Lok Sabha poll. The dissident MLAs said the decision on the leadership issue had been postponed in the past in view of the Assembly poll in Himachal Pradesh and later in four states. Again, if kept in suspended animation in view of the Lok Sabha poll it would not resolve the issue rather keep it alive.
The dissidents after camping in the Capital for about a fortnight, left the city following a meeting with the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi.
The party high command had assured them that a decision on the dissident legislator’s demand of “save Amarinder or save Congress” would be taken after the winter session of Parliament, which ended on December 23.
