Congress on Friday appointed former Indian hockey captain and Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh as the new president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC). 61 year old Pargat Singh has replaced Amarinder Singh Raja Vading. This change has happened at a time when Congress is preparing for the assembly elections in Punjab early next year.
Raja Vading was the President of Punjab Congress from April 2022. On Friday, he met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and resigned from his post. After this the appointment of Pargat Singh was announced.
Before the appointment of Pargat Singh, discussions and meetings took place within the Congress for several days. Amid reports of differences among senior leaders in Punjab Congress, Congress's Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot talked to senior leaders of the state and submitted his report to the party high command.
Why did Pargat Singh get the responsibility?
Pargat Singh is a Jat Sikh leader. Within the party, he was also being compared with former minister Vijay Inder Singla, who is a Hindu leader. The appointment of Pargat Singh is being seen as an attempt to balance the internal equations of the Congress. If seen as the face of CM, then Pargat Singh's new responsibility does not immediately put him in the direct race for the post of Chief Minister.
Who can be the Chief Minister face of Punjab?
Many senior leaders in Punjab Congress are seen as possible contenders for the post of Chief Minister. These include Leader of Opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa, Jalandhar MP and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Gurdaspur MP and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
Who is Pargat Singh?
Pargat Singh has been MLA from Jalandhar Cantt assembly seat thrice. He won the election for the first time in 2012 on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ticket. Later he left Akali Dal and joined Congress in 2016. After this, he retained the Jalandhar Cantt seat on Congress ticket in the 2017 and 2022 assembly elections.
In 2021, the then PPCC President Navjot Singh Sidhu made him General Secretary (Organization) in Punjab Congress. After this, from September 2021 to March 2022, he worked as a cabinet minister in the Punjab government led by Charanjit Singh Channi.
Now after becoming PPCC President, he has got the big responsibility of strengthening the party organization and improving the Congress network at the grassroots level. Along with this, he will have to prepare the party for the 2027 assembly elections by handling the differences among senior leaders.
What before entering politics?
Before coming into politics, Pargat Singh had a long career in international hockey. Born in Mithapur, Jalandhar, Pargat Singh was associated with Punjab Police and also worked with Indian Railways. He captained the Indian hockey team in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He is said to be the only player to captain India in two Olympic Games.
In 1998, he was made the coach of the Indian national hockey team. He also worked as Sports Director of Punjab. During this, he laid emphasis on increasing sports facilities and developing hockey turf in villages. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1989 and Padma Shri in 1998 for his contribution in the field of sports.
What is the challenge facing Pargat now?
Now the biggest responsibility before Pargat Singh will be to reorganize the organization of Punjab Congress, reduce differences among senior leaders and unite the party for the 2027 assembly elections. Congress' Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot congratulated Pargat Singh on his appointment. He expressed hope that the new state president will strengthen the party organization and raise issues related to the people of Punjab.
What did Sachin Pilot say about Pargat Singh?
Pilot said that he is hopeful that under the leadership of Pargat Singh, Congress will perform better in the upcoming assembly elections. He also said that Pargat Singh will have to convey the ideology and vision of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to the public.