Punjab bothers Congress again; rumblings in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan as well

Congress' woes in all the three states ruled by it - Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan - are overflowing with the row within Punjab Congress, keeping it on toe eight months before polls, even after the party set up a high power co-ordination meeting group to work on a proposal for roaster of Ministers to sit at Punjab Congress Bhawan.

A day after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh asked Sidhu to rein in his advisors after the alleged atrocious comments of two of them recently on sensitive issues like Kashmir and Pakistan, Sindhu on Monday hit out at the party-ruled government over prices of crops.

"The sugarcane farmers issue needs to be immediately resolved amicably …. Strange that despite the higher cost of cultivation in Punjab the state assured price is too low as compared to Haryana / UP / Uttarakhand. As torchbearer of agriculture, the Punjab SAP should be better !," Sidhu tweeted.

Reacting to the purported remarks of Pyare Lal Garg that Singh's criticism of Pakistan was not in the interest of Punjab and that of Malwinder Singh Mali that if Kashmir was a part of India, then what was the need to have Articles 370 and 35A, the Chief Minister told them tersely not to speak on matters "of which they clearly had little or no knowledge and had no understanding of the implications of their comments".

Singh asked them to stick to giving advice to Sidhu. Both Garg and Mali were recently appointed by Sidhu as his advisors. The Chief Minster warned them against such "atrocious and ill-conceived comments that were potentially dangerous to the peace and stability of the state and the country".

Congress leader Manish Tewari urged the the AICC in-charge for Punjab Harish Rawat "to seriously introspect that those who do not consider J&K to be a part of India and others who have ostensibly Pro-Pakistan leanings should be a part of Punjab Congress. Do such people even have the right to live in the country, forget about being in the Party?"

Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal questioned the “silence” of Sidhu on this issue while BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra called their comments "appalling".

"It shows the thought process of the party. Will Mr Rahul Gandhi answer whether he appointed Sidhu's advisors?" the BJP leader asked. Punjab BJP wrote a letter to Sidhu seeking immediate tough action against Mali. As the controversy deepened, Sidhu summoned both Garg and Mali to his residence in Patiala on Monday.

Rahul Gandhi will be meeting Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Health Minister T S Singh Deo on Tuesday amid simmering tension between the two leaders. With no end to the delay in the much talked about cabinet reshuffle in Rajasthan in which Sachin Pilot's loyalists were set to be accommodated, the patience in the pilot camp is running thin.

BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav on Thursday hit out at the ruling Congress in the state slamming "fight for the chair" between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Pilot.