Bajwa advises Amarinder, Bhattal to exercise restrain

Amidst a battle of words between former Congress chief ministers Amarinder Singh and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, state party chief Partap Singh Bajwa today urged the senior leaders to exercise restrain while making statements.
"Both (Amarinder and Bhattal) should exercise restrain from making irresponsible statements... It damages the party... If anybody has any grudge they should take it on the party platform," Bajwa, a bete noir of Amarinder, said.
"Let us not fight among ourselves rather we need to take on the Badals... I appeal to both the leaders with folded hands to exercise restrain in making statements in the interest of the party," he said.

Stating that he was "surprised" at the statements given by Amarinder and Bhattal, who he said "shared close relations", Bajwa ruled out any infighting in the party and asserted that Congress will strongly contest the upcoming Assembly polls and dethrone the Badals.
Responding to Amarinder's reported statement that Congress needs a one-man show to win Punjab polls, Bajwa said that "instead of going to the media Amarinder should bring his grievances to the notice of the party high command."
When asked about Amarinder's claims of being the best leader to win polls for Punjab, Bajwa said that he had no problems with the former Chief Minister, and was ready to accept any responsibility given by the party.

"If the party high command is ready, I am ready to quit and accept any responsibility bestowed upon me. I am a loyal soldier of party," he said seeking to downplay his differences with the party MP from Amritsar.

However, he added that "rating done by a person for himself is not a good parameter to assess once performance."
After Amarinder had toed a different line on the GST bill yesterday, Bajwa today clarified that he categorically endorses the stand of party president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi on GST.
He added that the party high command takes the state leaders into confidence before reaching any conclusion.

Refuting Amarinder's assertion that Bajwa is replacing block presidents at his own will, the state party chief said that "it's the prerogative of the PPCC head and if anyone is replaced he will be suitably accommodated in the party."
Punjab Congress is going through a rough phase as coordination among senior leaders, including Amarinder is missing ahead of 2017 Assembly polls in the state, which will be a litmus test for the party as it is out of power for about eight years.