Rejecting assertions that Punjab Congress is ridden with factionalism, senior party leader Rajeev Shukla today sought to play down the open intense war between top leaders Amarinder Singh and Partap Singh Bajwa saying that there is "no severe groupism" in the party.
"There is no severe groupism in Punjab unit of Congress...Whatever differences of opinion exists between certain leaders its not affecting the image of the party in the state," he said.
Punjab is going to assembly polls in 2017 and the state is witnessing a severe groupism between Punjab Congress president Bajwa and Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Amarinder, marring the prospects of the party at the upcoming hustings.
He said that the Congress would contest the 2017 assembly polls under the collective leadership and oust the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance government from the state.
He, however, said that all political parties are facing internal fights. "There may be difference of opinion among members within the party," he added.
Asserting that drugs will remain an issue in the polls, he said that the present SAD-BJP combine regime is most "unpopular."
He claimed that if Congress voted to power after 2017 polls, the party will make Punjab drug free.
Speaking on the occasion, Bajwa said that there were no differences between him and Amarinder.
"Amarinder is senior to me...He is my elder brother...I respect him and always keep doing so...I have told this to Rahul (Congress vice president Gandhi) and Sonia (Congress chairperson Gandhi)," he said.
Recently both Amarinder and Bajwa had openly fired salvos against each other.
"I am willing to walk an extra mile to meet Amarinder and request him to make Punjab free from the Parkash Singh Badal family," he said.
"Even certain ex-judges had recently openly protested against drug abuse in Bathinda," he said.
