SAD-BJP councillors go into a huddle

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 28

Sensing the Congress can cause trouble, Mayor Balwant Rai Nath today held a meeting with SAD councillors to assure that he has the numbers and majority on his side in case the opposition brings up no-confidence motion against him on March 31.

Rumours have spread since the Congress came to the power in the state that Congress leaders would go for a change of guard in the Municipal Corporation Bathinda.

During the meeting, SAD-BJP councillors proclaimed their support for Mayor Balwant Rai Nath.

Infighting in SAD also came to the fore during the meeting when SAD councillors Santosh Mahant and Sham Lal Jain blamed Triveni Company for the party’s defeat in the city in the Assembly polls.

Master Harmander Singh tried to intervene, but to no avail.

Local Congress leaders have prepared a plan to dislodge the present Mayor.

Their strategy is to bring councillors from other parties to their support and the person who does it best may get the Mayor’s post.

While state Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal has already cleared that they would not do anything that undermines democracy, local Congress leaders are adamant on going ahead with their plans.

There are 50 councillors in the MCB — SAD 22, Congress 10, independent 10 and 8 are from the BJP.

Congress leaders have started claiming that they would manage the numbers as they would get support from 10 independent councillors.

During the election campaign, two councillors of SAD and BJP, Sukhwinder Kaur and Priyanka Goyal, joined the Congress.

The Congress tally could well be 22 and the party would need three more to grab the mayor’s post.

They are quite assured they will get the support of three SAD-BJP councillors easily.

Mayor Balwant Rai Nath said, “Inviting party councillors for tea is a routine affair. We have a majority in the general house of the MCB and if required, we will prove our majority in the house. The opposition is raising the issue without any reason.”