The dissidents also claim that the chief minister is soft with the Badals . The drug menace which was one of the election issues in 2017 also needs to be addressed more robustly .
Sidhu started dreaming of becoming chief minister after he gained access to Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi . Senior leaders who are in the queue to succeed the Captain are dismayed with this . Sidhu also wants to become the PCC president though he does not have the capacity to take everyone along .
Among the solutions being considered by Congress high command are a cabinet reshuffle , representation to more castes , and a bureaucratic reshuffle to give a free hand to elected representatives . There is a proposal to form a new campaign committee . The dissidents will seek to be accommodated with these changes .
Factionalism is not new to the Congress party . But a weak leadership cannot continue to treat the states or encourage dissidents as it did earlier because the party needs unity . There are not many options left for the leadership .
The first thing is to broker peace between the Chief Minister and the dissidents . Second , the Chief Minister must be persuaded to take everyone along . Third , to implement all campaign promises . Four , concentrate on Covid relief works as unless the people perceive the government is doing a good job there will be trouble ahead . The fifth is to strengthen the Chief Minister when there is no alternative . The sixth is to activate the party workers to make them poll-ready .
The Punjab assembly election will be one of the hottest political battles in early February , 2022 . The other parties like the Akali Dal and the BJP too are trying to set their house in order . While the Akali Dal has severed its connection with its longtime ally the BJP last year on the farm bills issue , the two parties have declared that they would go it alone in the upcoming polls . Therefore , Punjab is likely to face a multicornered fight . The BJP ' s expansion plans are aggressive . The Captain and a united party seem to be the best bet for Congress . ( The author is a senior journalist . The views expressed are personal .)
www . legacyindia . in June 2021 | Legacy India 13