Chandigarh, March 7
Knives are out in the Punjab Congress with the entire rank and file urging for revamping the state unit to save it from further decimation at the hands of the Akalis.

Though Congressmen feel Capt Amarinder Singh was the ideal choice to lead the party in its bid for power, they claim the party literally gifted the state to the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine.

While demanding fixing of responsibility for wrong selection of candidates, Congressmen want the state unit to be run by the meritorious and dynamic team rather than a coterie. There is a feeling that the Punjab unit is being been run by a ‘coterie of managers’ like a corporate entity. This coterie could not connect with party workers and is also accused of severely limiting access of the PCC chief and acquiring power for itself.

The Congressmen assert that senior leaders should be made accountable. There is a feeling that some senior leaders did not cooperate with Amarinder. Some even helped the cause of the SAD by encouraging their supporters to stand as Independents.

There is also intense anger against senior leaders for appropriating all-important posts in the state organisational structure for themselves or their wives, leaving genuine workers out in the cold. Almost all leaders, who were appointed as Vice Presidents in the PCC, managed to secure a ticket for themselves. They could do little for the party in their districts. The party lost six seats where the kith and kin of senior leaders were fielded.

Observers opine that the Punjab Congress needs to pass on the baton to a mass-based leader who is relatively young, educated and capable of taking on the Akalis. They also want middle-rung leaders, who have proved their mettle, to get due importance to take the Congress forward in the state.