Varinder Walia
Tribune News ServiceAmritsar, November 6
Mr Amarinder Singh, President, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, today rushed to New Delhi to meet Ms Sonia Gandhi, President, Indian National Congress, to urge her to discipline Mr Brar who fired a fresh salvo against him yesterday.
Though Mr Amarinder Singh had claimed he would not respond to the utterances of Mr Brar, sources close to him pointed out that he (Mr Amarinder Singh) would take up the issue with the high command as elections were round the corner.
Talking to TNS, the PPCC chief, however, said Mr Brar had created an unsavoury situation by highlighting ‘non-issues’. He said the PPCC had already decided that the kith and kin of party leaders would not be “accommodated” while allocating the party ticket.
As per the tradition, MLAs elected their leaders after the elections for the post of Chief Minister. “Such issues should not be highlighted at the crucial juncture when the voter of the state has made up his mind to “oust the Badal government”, Mr Amarinder Singh opined, while claiming the Congress stood united and the ‘lone dissenting voice like Mr Brar had no impact’.
He said the morale of the party rank and file was high and the Congress was all set to form the next government.
Without mentioning Mr Brar, Mr Amarinder Singh said he would not succumb to pressure for allocating a major chunk of ticket to a particular group. “Our formula for distribution of ticket is clear: only winning candidates will be fielded”, he announced.
On the suggestion of Mr M.M. Singh Cheema, member, PPCC, that the Congress should not reach a seat adjustment with the Left parties, Mr Amarinder Singh said he (Mr Cheema) was nobody to comment on such issues as the central leadership had already decided to float a secular front
to defeat the “communal forces in the state”. He said if Mr Cheema opposed the party decision, he would take disciplinary action against him.
It is pertinent to mention here that in a communication to Ms Sonia Gandhi, Mr Cheema had said that the Congress should not have a truck with the Left parties. Describing the CPI and the CPM as “opportunist”, Mr Cheema had said the demand of the CPI to contest from 30 seats was “unrealistic and unreasonable”.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders today took strong exception to the utterances of Mr Brar against the party chief. Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, Vice-President, PPCC and former minister, alleged that Mr Brar was suffering from “political epilepsy”.
“Mr Brar has fits every third month which may harm the party immensely”, he said.
Apart from Mr Bajwa, senior leaders, including Mr Sardul Singh, Vice-President, PPCC, Mr Such Sarkaria and Mr Raghunath Sahaipuri, district presidents, Amritsar and Gurdaspur, respectively, Mr Raman Bhalla, a former minister, Major Rajbir Singh Ajnala, Mr Surinder Singh Kathunangal, member, PPCC, and Mr Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal, member, PPCC, described the outbursts of Mr Brar as “most unfortunate”.
They said it did not behove a person made a party whip by the high command to behave thus. “Mr Brar is member of the coordination committee and election campaign committee. Hence, he should not take any step which can harm the interests of the party at this crucial juncture when elections are round the corner”, they said.
The Congress leaders sought immediate action against Mr Brar, Mr Bajwa said it was unbecoming of a senior Congress leader to praise the campaigning skills of his opponent Mr Parkash Singh Badal. He urged the party high command to fulfil the “wish” of Mr Brar and field him from Lambi against Mr Badal during the Assembly elections.
Mr Gurnam Singh Abulkhurana, former minister and member of the disciplinary action committee, criticised Mr Brar for seeking the party ticket for Mr Maheshinder Singh Badal from Lambi. Mr Jagpal Singh, Vice-President, Punjab Youth Congress, said the voter would not vote for a person like Mr Maheshinder Singh who had remained an Akali throughout.
Such a decision would cause resentment among the Congress rank and file. He said Mr Brar should desist from making ‘irresponsible statements’.
He alleged that Mr Brar who belonged to Muktsar did not campaign against Mr Badal during the previous Assembly elections.
The meeting of election campaign committee of Congress, scheduled to be held at Chandigarh on November 8 is likely to be stormy in the wake of the utterances of Mr Brar.
Mr R.L. Bhatia, a former minister, Mr Amarinder Singh, Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar and Mr Moti Lal Vora, in charge, Punjab affairs, are expected to attend the meeting.
