Deputies for accountability,Bajwa supreme: Chaudhary

“The decision has been taken to bring clarity regarding work allocation. There is a position of vice-presidents in the party’s organisational structure and they have been appointed to fix responsibility and accountability as in-charge in their respective zones. The vice-presidents will not be parallel authorities but will assist the PCC chief. The Congress high command is absolutely clear that he is supreme,” secretary in-charge of Punjab,Harish Chaudhary,said.

Though the move to appoint four zonal heads is being viewed as an attempt to undermine the authority of the new PCC chief,Bajwa’s close aides contend the choice of the four vice-presidents proves otherwise as none of them are “too powerful or dynamic to challenge the new chief”.

“All the four are comparatively junior to many sitting and former MLAs. Their names were finalised by a team of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi during his Punjab tour,surveys and Rahul’s meetings with Congress leaders and not on recommendations of anyone as he wants them to work as a team with Bajwa,” former MLA and Bajwa confidant Sukhpal Khaira said.

On the rollback of five appointments made by Bajwa on Monday,Chaudhary said the PCC chief did so on his own. “Bajwa told us that he wanted to appoint more people and would announce the whole team together. He had himself put a stay and not on orders of anyone in the party high command,” Chaudhary said.

On Tuesday,after an order from his office stating the temporary appointments stand withdrawn till further orders,Bajwa had said he was called by someone very senior in the party hierarchy to stay the appointments and do them at one go and not piecemeal. According to party sources,it was a procedural lapse as appointments cannot be announced without approval of the party president. The fact that he appointed his younger brother,Fateh Jung Bajwa,as the general secretary in-charge of Congress office,was also flagged by some dissenting leaders in Delhi.

Meanwhile,the appointment of vice-presidents has fuelled infighting within the party with some senior MLAs openly expressing their displeasure saying none of the four have ever been even district or block-level presidents and are younger to many. But the appointees welcomed it as “new culture of putting merit before seniority and personalities”.

Two-time Chamkaur Sahib MLA Charanjit Channi,who joined Congress in 2011 after winning as an Independent,said Rahul’s office had called him to Delhi. “I did contest as an Independent in 2007 after being denied a ticket,but I never joined any other party. I started as a municipal councillor and went on to become its president,both as a Congressman.

“My rallies see huge turnout and I have been taking on the ruling alliance both within and outside the Assembly. It is beginning of a new culture in Congress,where merit alone is the criteria,not seniority or personal affiliations,” Channi said.

Former Rampura Phul MLA,Gurpreet Kangar,the vice-president for Malwa belt,claims being a 45-year-old worked to his advantage. “I started as a zila paishad member and later became a sarpanch. I contested as an Independent when I was denied a ticket and defeated two former ministers. The party saw my work and gave me the ticket twice. The post of vice-president is not above senior and more capable leaders. I will be required to be on my toes for the party,” Kangar said.

Rahul to new V-Ps: ‘Chose you on merit’

The four vice-presidents chosen by Congress for Punjab had one-to-one audience with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi before their names were announced this week. According to Malwa zone vice-president,MLA Charanjit Channi,Rahul told them he was appointing them on merit. “I received a call from his office to come to Delhi. Rahul told me,he has entire information about me and he is appointing me on merit. He then said he wants us to encourage the deserving in the party,right from the grassroot level. I have LLB and MBA degrees and have been bestowed with the ‘Best MLA in Punjab’ honour during my last tenure at a function,Shining India,in New Delhi. I did not meet anyone to suggest my name for any organisational role,” Channi added.

SAD takes a dig at bajwa

Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal Thursday “wondered” what could a PPCC president achieve for his state from the Congress-led UPA government in Delhi if he could not appoint even his own secretaries without prior permission of the party high command. In a statement,SAD secretary general,Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa,also said that the Congress was forced to choose three former independents O P Soni,Gurpeet Singh Kangar and Charanjit Singh Channi as vice-presidents despite the fact that they had rebelled against the party earlier. “The Congress has exposed its political bankruptcy. This just shows what a complete disarray the party is in and how desperately short of loyal workers. By appointing three former rebels,the party has not only displayed panic but also clearly sent a signal that it was no longer a cadre-based party,” said Dhindsa,adding,“We sympathise with the newly appointed president,Partap Singh Bajwa.”