Congress’ risky gambit in Punjab

Action comes too late in the day as polls loom

The Congress has taken too many risks with a change in the Punjab government barely five months before the state is to face Assembly elections. The dramatic developments of the last few days saw the ouster of Capt Amarinder Singh as Chief Minister and his replacement by Charanjit Singh Channi. The change was orchestrated by the party high command, though as usual the motions of consultations and the holding of legislature party meetings were gone through. A crisis was created, and then it was mismanaged. Disgruntlement with Amarinder Singh’s leadership and dissidence against him has been there for long, and the party would have had to fight a serious anti-incumbency sentiment if it faced elections under him. Most of the party’s promises made before the last elections were yet to be acted upon. In fact, a committee to implement the manifesto promises was set up only last year. Amarinder Singh was seen as aloof and inaccessible, though he is still considered a tall leader who has a mind of his own.

Facing the election under a new leader who does not have the time to settle down in office is fraught with risks. Channi is a Dalit Sikh and the party may have thought that that would have electoral appeal in a Sikh-majority state where about one-third of the electorate is made up of SC communities. It has also fortified itself with two deputy chief ministers from the Hindu and Jat Sikh communities for wider appeal. But Channi may only be considered as a proxy for former cricketer and state party president Navjot Singh Sidhu who has run an open campaign against Amarinder Sigh and has the blessings of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. Sidhu has ambitions of being chief minister, but is known to be a maverick who, even after many years in politics, is yet to show he has the maturity to take on the role. He also has BJP antecedents.

So, the credentials and the credibility of the new leadership will be questioned and it will be difficult for the party to explain the recent developments, especially why it acted so late on the complaints and grievances against Amarinder Singh. The change of guard will also be an admission of the non-performance of its government. The Akali Dal, which is the main opposition, is weak, but the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is a potent electoral force. Amarinder Sigh can do harm to the party, because he and his supporters are left to feel that he was humiliated. The mutual denunciations within the party will continue to ring out and the factional warfare is bound to have an impact on the party’s electoral prospects.