DNA Exclusive: As Punjab Congress crisis deepens, G-23 questions Gandhi family’s silence

New Delhi: The crisis in Punjab Congress appears to be deepening further with Captain Amarinder Singh going his own way while the status of Navjot Sidhu is still under question. Amid all the drama, the trouble for the Gandhi family seems to be piling up with the G-23 leaders attacking the party high command. To make things worse, there have been internal fights among the party members that have spilled over the streets.

Zee News Anchor Sachin Arora on Thursday (September 30) discussed the ongoing chaos within the Congress party and questioned the silence of the Gandhi family.

After Captain Amarinder Singh met Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday, we said that he is left with three options:

First, Singh could join BJP and the party contests the Punjab elections under his leadership.

Second, he could form his own regional party in Punjab and forge a pre or post-poll alliance with the BJP.

Third, he could join BJP and the party makes him a minister at the Centre. For example, he could be made the agriculture minister.

While the first and third options are out of the question as Singh has made it clear that he would not join BJP. Now, what remains is the second option.

As we said, the BJP wants to work on Singh's image first and portray him as the strongest representative of the farmers of Punjab. He could be made to mediate in talks with the farmers. When the time for assembly elections arrive, Sidhu could form his own regional party in Punjab and forge a pre or post-poll alliance with the BJP.

If this happens then the whole scenario of Punjab polls will change and it will be a massive setback for Sidhu.

Singh has clearly said that he will not let Sidhu win. His statement means that his conflict with Sidhu is not yet over and would go on much beyond this.

Meanwhile, the Gandhi family has been silent on this entire political development. This has unnerved some of the party’s senior-most leaders. Yesterday, Kapil Sibal spoke up about the plight of the party in reference to the Punjab fiasco.

What followed was a severe backlash from his own party leaders and workers. Several Congress workers staged a protest outside Sibal’s house. They showed what a sin it is to speak against the Gandhi family. Even after this, the Gandhis remained silent.

But Sibal is not alone. Leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Manish Tewari and Anand Sharma have also raised concerns over the ongoing leadership crisis. The Gandhi family’s influence and hold over the party is being challenged.

The bottom line is that the Gandhi family miserably failed in handling the Punjab crisis. Even if they somehow manage to iron things out in the state, the spirited attack from the G-23 could cost them dearly.