Capt camp walks out of Congress campaign

Ruchika M Khanna & Sushil Goyal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Sangrur, March 28

Barely a fortnight ahead of the Dhuri bypoll, infighting has broken out in the Congress with the Capt Amarinder Singh camp walking out of the campaign.

For its exit, the Amarinder camp has cited the creation of dual power centres in Dhuri by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Partap Bajwa and for being ignored in the crucial election strategy meeting scheduled for tomorrow.

This is most likely to impact the outcome of the bypoll where Congress candidate Simar Pratap Singh Barnala is pitted against Akali-BJP candidate Gobind Singh Longowal. Within days of both leaders sharing a stage and creating an image of finally leaving behind their differences to put up a tough fight in Dhuri, an open war has broken out in the party now.

The reason: Appointment of two persons as party in-charge for the election. While Guru Harsahai MLA Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, who owes allegiance to Capt Amarinder Singh, was made in-charge of the election campaign by the party high command, Partap Bajwa decided to appoint former Sangrur MP Vijay Inder Singla in-charge of the party’s election campaign.

Capt Amarinder Singh has strongly objected to the creation of a dual power centre in Dhuri, saying he disapproved of Partap Bajwa’s attempts to nominate a separate election in-charge when Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi had already been assigned the task.

Rana Gurmeet Sodhi too released a statement to the press, declining to perform duties of the election in-charge for Dhuri. “There is no point in being the in-charge when PCC president Partap Singh Bajwa has appointed a separate election in-charge there. Having two election in-charges for an Assembly byelection is unprecedented.

“Since it will only create confusion among the cadres, I have decided to opt out as the campaign in-charge,” he said. While Partap Bajwa remained unavailable for comment, Vijay Inder Singla told The Tribune that he was asked by the party to garner votes in Dhuri town. “On the day of filing of nomination papers, the Congress general secretary had asked me to ensure that the party candidate gets a good lead from Dhuri town and I have been campaigning in the town,” he said.

This development comes a day before Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed is to arrive in Kakkarwal village of Dhuri constituency.

He has called a meeting of all party MLAs, MPs and PPCC members tomorrow to plan the strategy for the poll.
Interestingly, Capt Amarinder Singh has not been invited for the meeting. While sources in the Bajwa camp say that Amarinder, being a invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC), was senior and thus cannot be asked by others in the party to attend, a confidant of Capt Amarinder Singh reasoned that at a meeting called to decide on poll strategy, he should not have been ignored.
Taking strong exception to the PCC not inviting him for tomorrow’s crucial meeting at Dhuri, he has questioned the reasons for it, saying that all other senior leaders, including CLP leader Sunil Jakhar and former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, have been invited.

The reasons

• Appointment of two persons as party in-charge for the poll. While Amarinder loyalist Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi was made in-charge by the party high command, Partap Bajwa appointed Vijay Inder Singla for the same job
• Amarinder has been ignored for the crucial election strategy meeting scheduled for Sunday