On Tuesday, former Union law minister Ashwani Kumar ended his ties with the Congress Party after being a member for forty-six years. He tendered his resignation and immediately went on a tear by attacking the party and expressing his disillusionment. He accused the party of losing touch with the ground reality of the country and no longer being reflective of the national mood.
He further went on to say that he does not see the Congress winning Punjab in these assembly elections, going as far as to say that he expects it to fail miserably.
Kumar’s issues with the party
Ashwini Kumar, a former MP from Punjab, said that he had reached his limit in terms of perseverance when it came to the party. Kumar told NDTV, “The kind of leadership projected in Punjab is probably the worst in the last 40 years.” However, it must be pointed out that he refrained from pointing out any names, such as those of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi or Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, who have been mired in allegations of infighting and insubordination. Ashwini Kumar further went on a tangent, saying that the party had refused to reinvent itself and couldn’t keep up with the other parties that had. “I do not wish to criticize any individual, but the failings of those responsible cannot be brushed aside,” he said when asked about his concern with Congress.
He also indicated the feud between Captain Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu as one reason behind his exit. Amarinder Singh had resigned from the Congress back in September after being reportedly involved in a controversy with Sidhu for quite some time. According to Singh, he had taken up this issue with Sonia Gandhi thrice. He is now leading his party and is aligned with the BJP in Punjab.
The caste angle
Channi was elected as the CM of the state after Captain Amarinder’s resignation, owing to his importance as a Dalit leader. Kumar expressed his deep disappointment and disapproval of the move by saying, “It is impossible for me to accept that caste can become the basis of the choice of Chief Minister in the Congress. Mahatma Gandhi fought casteism all his life.”
About Amarinder Singh
He did not seem to appreciate how the party treated Captain Amarinder. “If you wanted Amarinder Singh to go, you could have talked to him; you could have asked him. The manner in which Amarinder Singh was humiliated into resigning has not left a good impression of the Congress, not only in Punjab but also the rest of the country.” He added that he was never in the inner circle of Captain Amarinder and objected to the way he was embarrassed to resign.
On the state election
He believes that Congress will lose Punjab, whereas the AAP will win with ease. “I feel that AAP will comfortably form the next government in Punjab, and Bhagwant Mann will be the state’s next Chief Minister. Punjab is ready for a sensational political change,” Kumar said.
