With the ongoing tussle between Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh and PCCC Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, the aged-old Congress Party is heading towards its gradual disintegration in the state. Amidst the political chaos in Punjab Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has played its trump card to demand floor test in Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
However, the demand came amidst the situation when the party is already dealing with the conflict to control the party ahead of state assembly polls. While Amarinder Singh is working round the clock to strengthen his position in the party, which Sidhu had been trying to weaken for a while, it can be assumed that the latter might have strategic relations with AAP to oust Amarinder.
Harpal Singh Cheema led delegation of AAP legislators met Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore. Cheema urged VP Singh to ask the Congress government to organize a special session to hold the floor test. The delegation including MLAs Amarjit Singh Sandoa and Jai Singh Rori and party leaders Jagtar Singh Sanghera and Malvinder Singh Kang, also challenged the Amarinder Singh government to prove its majority.
Demanding the proof of majority, the delegation said, “If the chief minister avoids proving his majority in next seven days, then the present government should be dissolved immediately.” Cheema also said that Cabinet Ministers TriptRajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Charanjit Singh Channi and Sukhwinder Singh Sarkaria, MLA and Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had come down heavily against their chief minister in the name of saving Punjab, should clarify their stand.
Reportedly, Amarinder met around 55 Congress MLAs and eight MPs in an apparent show of strength, at the home of a cabinet colleague on Thursday.
Read more: Amarinder knew about Sidhu’s antics. He just waited for Sidhu to activate self destruction mode
However, it can be assumed that the tussle between the two prominent leaders might have resulted in a decrease in the number of members in the pro-Amarinder faction or his loyalists in the party.
Sidhu, on the other hand, in an attempt to belittle Amarinder, has been attacking his own party’s government in the state and thus is facing flak for opposing his party. Recently, his advisor had to quit the party because of his controversial statements on Kashmir and Sidhu kept silent which indicated his support towards the advisor. Sidhu also gave an ultimatum to his party that he will not spare anyone if he is not permitted to take the decisions.
With such moves against the party, Sidhu has squandered his opportunity to strengthen his position in the party that eventually is resulting in benefitting Amarinder. Sidhu, aware of Amarinder’s political acumen, is seeking several ways to throw Amarinder out of the Punjab Congress.
In such a move, Sidhu might have been seeking help from AAP to replace Amarinder as a leader in the state. However, Sidhu’s exit from the party will lead to the exit of all the members of the pro-Sidhu faction and that further will affect the majority of the party in Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Sidhu, aware of this fact, is probably acting as a mole of AAP in an attempt to silence Amarinder.
