In a sudden, though not surprising, development, the Congress replaced former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as the General Secretary in charge of Punjab with Sachin Pilot. Baghel has been shifted to Assam, where his role will be quite limited, given the fact that the elections in that state are scheduled five years later.
Although the Congress made quite a few changes, including that of appointing Randeep Surjewal as in-charge of Gujarat, which also goes to polls late next year, it is the replacement of Baghel as Punjab in-charge that has drawn a lot of attention and led to a lot of speculation.
Compared to Pilot who replaced him, Baghel is more senior and more seasoned having served as the Chief Minister for a full term. Pilot in comparison has less experience although he remained the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan. He had expected to be the Chief Minister as he was the PPCC president when the Congress formed government in Rajasthan in 2018.
The million-dollar question remains whether the prolonged factional problems of the Congress will end with Baghel’s replacement. The answer is a categorical no. Baghel no doubt was seen to be partial, having completely sided with the PPCC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who is facing a lot of opposition but the general secretary in charge normally acts as the directions and indications from the high command.
As long as the concerned general secretary feels and believes that the high command is with the PPCC president, he will take a clear side and stand in his (the PPCC president’s) favour. It holds universally true across the country. It will be unfair to judge Baghel for being partial, although he was perceived to be so. His replacement certainly is not an indictment of his role but only to soothe some ruffled feathers in the Punjab Congress.
The second step for the Congress high command is to bring a semblance of unity in Punjab. The “rebels”, if they can be described so, given their substantial numbers, are firm in their stand for the replacement of the PPCC president. If a seasoned leader like Baghel could not handle the issue, it will be too much to expect that Pilot can resolve it. The situation in Punjab has turned too complex for the party to be handled by a single person. Yes, the “rebels” may have some consolation that the new general secretary in charge is “not partial”.
There can be another balancing factor. Pilot comes from Rajasthan. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, a prominent rebel leader, was till recent past the in charge of Rajasthan, thus had a close association with Pilot. Moreover, given the prevailing situation in the state, Pilot will also remain extra careful to ensure that he is seen to be impartial. That will be his primary responsibility.
The second question remains whether the Congress will replace the PPCC president also. It is a difficult choice to make. Since Baghel was seen to be “pro-Warring”, after his replacement with Pilot, the rebels may find the situation “balanced”. But it is difficult to expect them to accept anything short of Warring’s replacement.
Whatever the Congress plans to do further, it must do it immediately. The party is running out of time. With the possibility of an alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal getting stronger, Congress risks lagging behind in the perception battle. The party is already suffering from the bad optics of internal fighting. While it does not have any control over the external factors like a possible alliance between the Akalis and the BJP, it certainly can control factionalism. Sooner it does, the better it will be.
Interestingly, both the Congress as well as the BJP have deputed leaders from Rajasthan to navigate the electoral fortunes in Punjab. Like Pilot, Satish Poonia, the BJP in charge for Punjab is also from Rajasthan.
Earlier, also Harish Chaudhary and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in-charge of Congress and the BJP respectively, were also from Rajasthan. In fact the two had studied in the same university there almost at the same time.
(Views expressed are personal.)