Not against Capt, Rahul tells Cong MLAs
Friday, 09/10/2015
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/
New Delhi : Under pressure of electoral revival, the Congress appears to be opening up to the idea of former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh as the possible state unit chief with accountability to deliver in elections.
Indications of this flexibility in the party’s position on the issue came today after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi held one-on-one meetings with six senior party legislators from Punjab to seek their views on what should be done to win the state back in 2017.
These legislators were CLP leader Sunil Jakhar, Ramanjit Singh Sikki, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Rana Gurjit, SS Dharamsot (all Capt loyalists) and Lal Singh.
While Rahul stressed the importance of unity in his pre-lunch meetings with these leaders, many of the MLAs today admitted noting “a significant change in Rahul’s positioning on Capt Amarinder”.
Another major departure from the past was the amount of time Rahul spent with them. Where he would not meet them for long earlier, today he engaged for half an hour and more with leaders except Jakhar whose views on Capt are well known.
A majority of MLAs contacted by The Tribune admitted that Rahul appeared “amenable” to Capt Amarinder’s references today. Rana Gurjit said, “The Congress vice-president said he was not against Capt Amarinder and it was a false perception being created.”
Another legislator said, “Unlike earlier when Rahul would come up with reasons on why Capt Amarinder should not be given another chance to lead the state unit ahead of the poll, today he sounded positive. Instead of saying that Capt had lost the last Assembly polls despite being named the party’s CM candidate, Rahul asked if Capt could deliver election victory. He appeared open to Capt Amarinder Singh’s name today.”
Sikki and Rana Gurjit jointly met Rahul while others met him individually. Jakhar said after the meeting, “Our position on the issue is clear. The Congress has invested so much in Capt Amarinder. It is time they capitalised on their investment.”
Rahul will meet other MLAs on October 12. He also hopes to meet district Congress presidents before taking the leadership decision.
Top sources in the Congress today admitted that while the leadership had earlier made up its mind to name former Union Minister Ambika Soni as Punjab Congress chief, a section still felt Amarinder should be given the party reins.
With Amarinder throwing hints that he would prefer to lead the Punjab unit himself if the Congress expects him to win the elections, the Congress is finally veering round to the idea that he could also be the state chief. “That’s not ruled out,” said a source.
The Congress does not want to lose Capt ahead of the 2017 elections amid apprehensions that he could form his own party if not given the due role.
The Congress has already suffered due to past pre-poll exits of top leaders like Rao Inderjit Singh and Birender Singh ahead of the Haryana elections and recently former Assam Health Minister Himanta Sarma on the eve of the 2016 Assam elections.
Further, Rahul wants to give an impression of being democratic after Sarma accused him otherwise in his resignation letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi. The letter said Rahul had ignored the will of a majority of Assam Congress legislators to replace CM Tarun Gogoi with Sarma.
