In the latest episode of tiff within the Congress party that has seen relentless rebellion from among its own leaders, senior party MP Manish Tewari took a swipe at the top brass for going “soft” on Punjab chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, despite his repeated comments “defaming” the organisation.
Tewari, who is among the G-23 leaders who had last year written a letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi asking her for “sweeping changes” in the party, on Twitter shared a clip of Sidhu’s speech from Friday where he threatened to serve a “befitting reply” to the Congress if decision-making power is not given to him.
With an Urdu couplet, Tewari, in Akbar Allahabadi’s words said, “Hum aah bhi karte hai, toh ho jaate hai badnaam, who qatal bhi karte hai toh charcha nahi hota (If we sigh, we become infamous, but even if they kill, there is no discussion)” in a message for the Congress leadership.
“The party high command should allow me the freedom to take decisions, else I will give a befitting reply,” he said addressing a meeting in Amritsar.
Asked about Sidhu’s remarks, Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat had responded to reporters saying, “I will see the context in which Navjot Singh Sidhu has made these remarks. Mr Sidhu is the respected chief of the Punjab unit. Who will have the power to take decisions if not the state presidents.”
Rawat, however, said state presidents are free to take decisions within the party’s constitution and in accordance with its position.
Meanwhile, after a whirlwind of criticism from with Congress, Sidhu’s adviser Malwinder Singh Mali resigned on Friday from the post of advisor to the PPCC chief.
In a scathing resignation, Mali said, “In case of any harm against me, Captain Amarinder Singh, Punjab’s cabinet minister, Vijender Singh, Punjab’s MP Manish Tewari, Punjab’s Former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, former cabinet minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia and BJP’s Subhash Sharma, Aam Aadmi Party’s Raghav Chadha and Jarnail Singh will be responsible.”
Earlier, Rawat said he had asked Navjot Singh Sidhu to sack his controversial advisers Pyare Lal Garg and Malwinder Singh Mali.
Sidhu in a statement, prior to the resignation, had said that he must be allowed to take his decisions independently.
“For one, Congress party has nothing to do with Sidhu’s advisers. Secondly, the adviser’s remarks on Kashmir are not acceptable to Congress. Kashmir is an integral part of the country. If there is an unresolved issue with Pakistan, that is Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK). I have told Sidhu to remove his advisers. The party cannot accept such people who make irresponsible remarks that hurt the feelings of people. I am told that one of the advisers in question too has tried to clarify his stand. I will examine that and then decide on the next course of action,” Rawat said.
Congress has not changed any of its chief ministers amidst demands for the same but there seems a free-for-all in all the three states that the party rules with the aspirants challenging the chief minister publicly.
In doing so, they are also questioning the authority of the party leadership, which lies rudderless with no regular Congress chief for the last two years now. Repeated directives from the High Command to the warring leaders to not have public spats and raise their arguments in party forums have fallen on deaf ears, raising the spectre of indiscipline in the party.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment