Congress lacks inspirational leadership, the party is facing an existential crisis, these are the words of a senior Congress leader Ashwani Kumar who had quit the party. Ashwani Kumar’s exit is another setback for the grand old party.
A major setback before Kumar happened when the giant Hindu face of Punjab Congress Sunil Jakhar left active electoral politics. Sunil Jakhar formerly headed the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.
Congress has witnessed several defections in Punjab just before the polls. The separation of these two prominent leaders is going to cost Congress dearly in Punjab. There are speculations that after being unsatisfied with the sinking Congress, both the leaders may join BJP’s court in the coming time.
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Ashwani Kumar’s Resignation
On February 15, 2022, the youngest Attorney General of India, who had been associated with the Congress for almost 46 years, Ashwani Kumar has resigned from the party.
Once a Union Law Minister and a very senior politician, Ashwani Kumar parted ways with Congress. He wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi giving reasons for his resignation.
In his interviews after the resignations, Kumar hit out at the Congress Party for its internal conduct. He said that Congress should look inwards instead of finding faults in those leaving the party. He even went ahead to call the Congress ‘a three state party’. And advised that a small party like Congress in no capacity should challenge the dominant party like the BJP having a pan-India presence. He even commented on the dismissal state of Punjab’s economy and called Captain Amarinder Singh’s exit humiliating. Kumar predicted that Congress betting on the face of Charanjit Singh Channi is going to fail miserably in the state of Punjab.
In his letter to Sonia Gandhi, Kumar claimed that he could, “best subserve larger national causes outside the party-fold.”
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Sunil Jakhar: A Hindu Leader in Punjab
Sunil Jakhar was sidelined by the Congress’ high command to give the seat to ‘a Dalit Sikh face’. He quit active electoral politics the day Congress announced Charanjit Singh Channi as its CM face for Punjab Elections.
At the time, when Captain Amarinder Singh was forced to resign, Sunil Jakhar was the main contender for the post of Chief Minister.
Jakhar even showed his dissatisfaction over that decision and responded, “Ambika Soni had said that a Hindu cannot become Punjab CM. It hurts a lot. I am leaving electoral politics. Leaders who call themselves big have very small thoughts. Ambika Soni has harmed the Congress. She had said that if a Sikh does not become the Chief Minister of Punjab, then where will it become”.
Jakhar also asked the party, “If the BJP adopts the same thinking that a Hindu will become the Prime Minister of the country, then what will the Congress answer to this?”
When Sunil Jakhar’s prediction was paid no heed
In December 2021, the giant Congress leader of Punjab, Sunil Jakhar predicted that like always Congress will not announce its CM face before going into polls. He called the elections of 2017 an exception, as Congress announced its CM candidate before the elections.
The Congress high command, not well versed with these predictions announced sitting CM Charanjit Singh Channi as the CM face of Punjab, upon whom the party will contest in Punjab.
Sunil Jakhar: A Congress giant who roasts Congress Leaders
After the unfortunate incident of PM Modi’s security lapse took place in Punjab, Channi was targeted by Congress’ very own Sunil Jakhar. At the time, when PM’s security was compromised in the border state Punjab, the Congress cornered with Channi and called it a conspiracy. Instead of ensuring safe passage to the PM, Channi was busy playing blame games. Instead of looking into the matter with responsibility, Channi was briefing Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Sunil Jakhar was the one who came out and openly criticised Channi’s mismanagement. He called the incident “unacceptable”. He also said, “a safe passage must be ensured for the Prime Minister of India.”
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Congress is a party that is facing constant setbacks in the game of Defections. The prominent faces of Punjab Congress have quit the party to join BJP like Fateh Singh Bajwa, Balwinder Singh, Gurtej Singh. At the defection of a leader like Ashwani Kumar and the behaviour of Sunil Jakhar, the situation of Congress is miserable in Punjab.
Sunil Jakhar is a politician who was ignored by the Congress top brass, for being a Hindu leader in Punjab, a step that the BJP has criticised vocally. BJP even alleged that; the Congress Party is trying to divide people along communal lines.
The Bhartiya Janta Party knows how to cater for the demands of politicians well. Jyotiraditya Scindia, the aviation minister is a living example of that. In the times to come, the people of Punjab may witness the shift of both the leaders Ashwani Kumar and Sunil Jakhar towards BJP’s court.