Appointing Channi as CM Rahul’s bold decision: Jakhar
CHANDIGARH : Punjab Congress leader Sunil Jakhar on Friday hit out at the party’s opponents for attributing motives to its choice of the chief minister in the state.
Terming Charanjit Singh Channi’s appointment a bold decision, Jakhar said that the political opponents of the Congress are literally missing the forest for the trees in attributing political motives to the party’s choice of chief minister.
“What Rahul Gandhi has done by choosing Channi as CM is that he has broken the barely perceptible glass ceiling,” the former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president tweeted.
Channi is Punjab’s first Scheduled Caste chief minister.
Jakhar, a Hindu face, was a front-runner for the chief minister’s post with Rahul’s backing. His name was more or less final at one stage, but a section of party leaders pressed for a Sikh CM. He later even took a dig at “petty-minded small people occupying high positions” for trying to divide Punjab on the
basis of race/caste/identities.
Says Punjabiat being put to test again
Jakhar said the bold decision (Channi’s appointment), though rooted in the ethos of Sikhism, is nevertheless a watershed moment not only for the polity but also for the social fabric of the state. “The warp and weft of this fabric is a complex interplay of aspirations and anxieties of all sections of society. This must be respected, maintained and nurtured as ‘raj dharma’ at all times,” he said, adding, “But there is clear and present danger of Punjabiat being put to test once again with usual divisive forces already weaponising this transformative initiative to fragment society”.
Jakhar said this threat cannot be wished away and if handled in inept and/or biased manner the prevailing robust brotherhood and amity, which has always been the pride of Punjab even in testing times, can be just as fragile and shatter just as easily as a “glass house”. The new Congress dispensation is being keenly watched to see whether it has what it takes, he added.