Rajmeet Singh
Chandigarh, January 11
With the Punjab leg of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra kicking off from the historic Fatehgarh Sahib, the Punjab Congress leadership could not have asked for a better opportunity to revive its fortunes, given the escalating standoff between the civil services officers and the government employees and the Bhagwant Mann government over handling of the corruption cases by the Vigilance Bureau.
Punjab Congress leaders are hoping that the timing of the escalating unrest among the officials and entry of the Bharat Jodo Yatra for the nine-day tour through the urban and rural setting of the border stage would offer enough opportunity and reason to Punjabis to know as to who should lead the state.
With the 2024 general election on mind, Rahul, sporting a turban, on Wednesday trained guns on the ruling BJP at the Centre, saying the yatra was undertaken to hear people out. But Punjab Congress leaders are learnt to have urged the Gandhi scion to expose the state government over the “deteriorating law and order” and other issues.
“Politics of symbolism and tying a turban to give an assurance to the Sikh community is enough to grab the attention of the Punjabis. Punjab issues need to be touched by the former Congress president,” said a senior leader.
Since the decision of Rahul Gandhi to project Dalit Sikh leader Charanjit Singh Channi as the CM face in the 2022 assembly election boomeranged, the Gandhi scion has to give a clear message to the rank and file on the party’s state leadership that is otherwise faction-ridden.
Party leader Partap Bajwa said that learning from the past mistakes, the party leaders through the yatra would expose the AAP.
