EVERY Congressman in Punjab looks towards capturing political power by mid 2011. They strongly feel that the present Akali- BJP combine has failed on all fronts and a victory at the polls is granted since there is no third alternative except their party. This is not a bad wish by itself. But the way Punjab Congress leaders at all levels have been conducting, they ought to think twice before dreaming about power. Senior leaders are not only odds with each other, but have been braying at each other’s the throats, much to the delight of the Akalis and BJP leaders. They also provide vicarious pleasure to their masters in Delhi as this is a fodder for their survival in the corridors of power in the national capital.

The Congress in Punjab is so plagued by groups and lack of clarity of ideological positions that at times it becomes a laughing stock. Both inside and outside the state assembly the party demonstrates its pitiable position, despite some bright leaders making well informed speeches. Punjab is today suffering from grave economic crisis. Poor quality and short supply of power to all sectors; farm, industry and domestic has hampered the production and pushed up costs all around.

There is ever deepening agrarian crisis. Farmers are leaving their old and trusted profession of farming, Punjab’s only pride on the economic map to move to cities to make a better living. The farmers of Punjab do not see this as an isolated case of bureaucratic misconduct or the occasional case of overproduction. They are realising that the pride that the vocation of agriculture offered them till recently is fast diminishing. There is little appreciation of the farmers’ potential to produce more food.

People particularly the poor and the middle classes groan under the impact of rising prices. Subsidized supply of Atta and Dal offer some relief, but no solution to ever increasing prices of all household items, particularly eatables. There is widespread unemployment, some 30 lakh youth, with poor education roams the streets aimlessly. They face a hopeless future and are taking to all kinds of drugs in a mind boggling manner. Their number is ever rising and tearing the social fabric apart. Hapless parents are selling whatever to push their wards to foreign countries for studies or jobs. Look how the police resorted to a brutal lathi charge the youngsters in Jalandhar who had gone to seek visa to go the United Kingdom. Crime is on the rise, far and wide and as social tension mount it is bound to increase. Social sectors like health and education are in a poor shape. The government admits shortage of doctors, medicines and teachers.

It is true that the Congress made its ‘contribution’ when it ruled the state towards the current mess. Yet one does not hear much from the big time Congress leaders, Capt. Amarinder Singh, Mrs. Rajinder Kaur Bhattal or the present temporary state Congress president, Mohinder Singh KP lending their voice to these issues. When did they lead any reasonably big protest march in the state’s capital, Chandigarh? They need not as one senior leader commented, “We do not have to slog in the streets. What is the choice before the people when elections come? The Akalis and the BJP have done nothing and the people are sick of them. They have already lost and we only wait for the elections to come to power. We shall look at these problems then.” And what he will not say is that meanwhile, “we fight with each other and settle the leadership issue.”

Yes, it is the leadership issue that hangs like a dark cloud over the Congress party in Punjab. The Congress presents a better team work in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh than in Punjab. Part of the problem lies with leaders like Capt. Amarinder Singh and Mrs. Bhattal and second rung of leaders. They lead delegations to central leaders, Mrs Mohsina Kidwai, party president Mrs. Sonia Ghandi‘s all season trusted secretary, Ahmed Patel and who not. Complaints, largely anonymous or unsigned against each other reach these central leaders to fill huge boxes, finally to be consigned to dustbins.

One reason for the delay in deciding the leadership issue is the conviction any leader chosen much in advance of the elections would be a spent force by that time and any new leader close to the elections will help the party’s performance at the elections as that means less factionalism.

But there is another more important reason and that exposes the great secular party. It cannot choose non Sikh and not even a non Jat Sikh to lead the party. When was the last time it chose a Hindu its state president and chief ministerial candidate? Side by side it must appease the scheduled castes. Caste and religious considerations weigh heavily for the party that promised ages back to end interference of religion and caste in political affairs.

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