Chandigarh, April 7
The return of former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh from London to India scheduled for April 9 has created a sort of crisis in the Punjab Congress.
In a way, an internal tug of war has begun in the state unit of the Congress on this issue.
Many Congress MLAs, who belong to the Amarinder camp, are lobbying hard to give a grand reception to their leader at Delhi
airport on April 9. They are all for exhibiting solidarity with Amarinder Singh, who, according to certain party MLAs, is being “targeted” by the Badal government in the corruption case regarding the Ludhiana city centre.
Already, the Punjab and Haryana high court has stayed Amarinder Singh’s arrest till July-end.
However, the Punjab Congress has not given any instructions to MLAs with regard to extending a warm welcome to Amarinder Singh at Delhi airport. “ Any MLA who will be going to Delhi to receive Amarinder Singh will be doing so on his own. No directions have been issued to any MLA for receiving Amarinder Singh”, said a senior leader of the party.
However, the Punjab pradesh Congress committee, which had drawn up a programme to install the statues of the late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and the late chief minister Beant Singh at Punjab Congress bhavan here on April 9 today postponed the function to April 11 to avoid any controversy on the Amarinder issue. Earlier, it was felt that the function had been deliberately timed to coincide with the arrival of Amarinder Singh at Delhi airport and to prevent MLAs from receiving him. All Congress MLAs and other elected representatives of the party have been invited to attend the function at Congress bhavan.
Preneet Kaur, wife of Amarinder Singh, had contacted MLAs asking them to reach Delhi tomorrow to receive the former Chief Minister. Sources said that some MLAs from the Malwa region had reached Delhi today. Among them was Jeet Mohinder Singh, Congress MLA from Talwandi Sabo. Makhan Singh, another MLA from the Malwa region, will reach Delhi tomorrow. Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Congress MLA from Kapurthala district, will also reach the airport before the landing of Amarinder Singh’s plane. Khaira has said on record that it was time to express solidarity with Amarinder Singh against whom the Badal government was indulging in vendetta.
Congress leader in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is touring various districts in the state to consolidate her position in the party. Sources said she would not go to Delhi airport. There are indications that certain leaders in the Congress high command do not favour the presence of party MLAs at the airport to receive Amarinder Singh. Though no instructions at the official level have been given to party MLAs in this regard, word has gone around about the party high command’s views on this issue, it is learnt.
However, there are certain Congress MLAs who give credit for their victory in the Malwa region to Amarinder Singh. They feel that their political survival in the party as well as in the Malwa region at this stage is directly linked to Amarinder Singh. “ We will not ditch Amarinder Singh at this crucial stage in any case”, said a senior party MLA from the Malwa region.
