Civil war in Congress in face of impending defeat: SAD

A war of attrition has started between Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his Cabinet colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu to pass on the buck to each other, on the final day of polling, said a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader on Sunday.

Commenting on the in-fighting in Congress, former minister and SAD leader Bikram Majithia said in a statement: "There is a complete trust deficit between the two leaders and they are hurling accusation at each other with unprecedented velocity as if they were from different parties."

"But everything is possible in the Congress party. Not to talk of Amarinder but even party president Rahul Gandhi's directions are not adhered to. Rahul had repeatedly said that Sam Pitroda should apologise for his utterances on 1984 riots but he didn't pay heed to Rahul and has not offered an unqualified apology till date," Majithia said.

Majithia said that Amarinder has sensed that the party has already lost the plot and the blame game has already started for the defeat in the just concluded polling in the state.

Sidhu has declared an open war against Amarinder Singh. He accused Amarinder of protecting sand and cable mafia and playing a friendly match with the Akalis, while Amarinder has advised Sidhu to consider that it was not his election but of the Congress and he should not harm its interests.

Amarinder said about Sidhu: "He is over ambitious and wants to be the Chief Minister of Punjab but raking up such controversies in the last leg of campaigning would adversely affect the party's candidates. This ill-timed move by Sidhu warrants disciplinary action by the party as the Congress party can't tolerate such indiscipline."

Sunday marks the end of the seven-phased polling in the country. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.