Can Amarinder ride out the storm?

This is not the first time Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh has faced dissension in the party ranks. In 2005, during his first term as chief minister (2002-07), the rebellion was spearheaded by his deputy, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who camped in New Delhi with 25 Congress MLAs to seek his ouster. The group had accused Amarinder of running the government with a coterie of officials, ignoring the views of party MLAs while taking decisions and not acting against corrupt ministers. With the support of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the Captain survived the rebellion, but a similar crisis has engulfed him in his second chief ministerial term, with cabinet members and party legislators openly defying his writ.

In late-May,