- Harish Rawat was appointed to solve the ongoing tussle between Captain and Sidhu
- His statements ended up in controversies created further disputes within the Party
- Ineffective governance of Rawat previously costed them to lose Uttarakhand
- “The star campaigner” Rawat seem to be paving the way and making things better for the BJP in Punjab
On Tuesday, Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat arrived in Chandigarh since he was entrusted with the task of quelling the rift between Amarinder Singh and his bitter arch-rival Navjot Singh Sidhu but instead, he ended up stirring a new controversy.
In the recent development, Harish Rawat compared the party’s state president Navjot Singh Sidhu and his team to ‘Panj Pyare’after a meeting at Punjab Congress Bhawan.
In Sikh tradition, ‘Panj Pyare’ is the term used for five beloveds of the Guru. In 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the last of the ten Gurus, initiated five men into the order of ‘Khalsa’ (pure). ‘Panj Pyare’ is the name given to five baptised Sikhs who perform a baptism ceremony to initiate Sikhs into the order of the ‘Khalsa’.Controversy arose on this and in the end, Harish Rawat was forced to apologize.
Read more: Amarinder knew about Sidhu’s antics. He just waited for Sidhu to activate self destruction mode
Rawat apologised on his Facebook page regarding the same. “Sometimes to express respect, you use such words which are objectionable. I too have made a mistake of using ‘Panj Pyare’ for my honourable president and four working presidents,” he wrote.
The Congress had put former Uttarakhand chief minister and veteran leader Harish Rawat in charge of a complex and factional situation in Punjab with a hope to resolve the ceasefire between Captain and Sidhu. However, Rawat’s contradicting statements only seem to have further disrupted the party and also increased factionalism within the state. The matter ended up getting more complicated instead of being resolved.
Read more: In order to belittle Amarinder, Sidhu praises farm produce prices in BJP-ruled states
Harish Rawat added that he was a student of the country’s history and ‘Panj Pyare’ could not be compared with any other.“I have committed a mistake. I apologise for hurting the sentiments of people, “ he said, adding that he has always had a sense of dedication and respect for the Sikh religion.
The ongoing rift, Sidhu Vs Amarinder
Earlier, Rawat had stated that the upcoming elections in Punjab in 2022 will be fought under the leadership of Captain Amarinder Singh, after meeting four state ministers seeking the “ouster” of the CM in Dehradun over unfulfilled poll promises. The crisis got worse as Punjab Congress’ General Secretary and MLA from Jalandhar Cantonment Pargat Singh, a close aid of Sidhu had questioned Harish Rawat’s statements backing CM Captain Amarinder Singh. As per the report, he claimed that Rawat’s statements had impacted Punjab’s politics adversely.
Witnessing the matter deteriorating, Rawat talked about collective leadership, which made the Amarinder Singh camp angry, at the end, its Congress Vs Congress.
Read more: Amarinder chooses PM Modi’s side after Rahul’s unsavoury comment about Jallianwala Bagh
Perhaps the Congress high command had forgotten that it was because of Harish Rawat’s ineffective governance, that they have lost elections in Uttarakhand. Congress got in power in 2012 under his leadership, but the mismanagement done by him in the state regarding relief works reflects why Congress lost in Uttarakhand. Yet again, due to Harish Rawat’s actions, the Congress party seem to be in danger, and the BJP will undoubtedly take advantage of the situation. This clearly shows that the Congress party never learn from its previous mistakes, and ironically, Harish Rawat seems to be the star campaigner of BJP.