Unrest in Cong as high command picks Karwal

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 13 

The announcement of fielding Kamaljit Singh Karwal as the Congress candidate from Ludhiana’s Atam Nagar constituency has brought a wave of unrest among party workers here.

A meeting of workers from the constituency was held today with several block and ward presidents under the presidentship of Kulwant Sidhu, halka in charge of Atam Nagar constituency, where workers sent a communiqué to the high command asking it to review its decision till tomorrow evening otherwise they would plan some other strategy. 

Kulwant said they have given time to the high command till tomorrow evening to review its decision of giving ticket to Kamaljit Karwal.

“There are many aspirants from Atam Nagar constituency and ticket should have been given to any one of them. We belong to the Congress, while ticket has been given to an outsider. If the name of Karwal is not taken back, we will hold a meeting day after tomorrow and decide further strategy,” Sidhu said.

Ticket aspirants from Atam Nagar constituency even protested outside the house of Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, the day the names were finalised in Delhi and opposed the decision of giving the ticket to Karwal, who recently joined the Congress after leaving the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). 

Kulwant Sidhu and Krishan Kumar Bawa were the main ticket aspirants from the constituency. 

A buzz was on regarding Karwal getting a ticket from Atam Nagar constituency since the day he joined Congress. Workers and leaders of the party were opposing his candidature since then. A few days ago when Rahul Gandhi’s team came to Ludhiana to discuss about protests the party had planned against demonetisation, a few party workers raised the issue of ticket being given to “outsiders”, who had just joined the party. Workers openly announced in front of the team that they would not support any outsider. 

Senior Congress leader Krishan Kumar Bawa said he had been working for the constituency from the past eight years, but was denied a ticket and instead was given to a person who joined the party a few days ago.

“I support the Congress party, but my support will not be for a candidate like Karwal. I fail to understand how can the party high command give a ticket to a person whose name is included in various criminal cases. We will meet Capt Amarinder Singh and Sonia Gandhi soon to show our dissatisfaction over giving a party ticket to him. There is a wave of unrest among party workers and they are not going to support him,” he said. 

Kulwant Sidhu, another strong contender from Atam Nagar constituency said workers were very upset with the announcement of Karwal’s name.  “We even protested outside Sonia Gandhi’s residence in Delhi to show our dissatisfaction. Whether to support Karwal or not or adopt some other plan will be decided day after tomorrow if the party high command does not rolls back Karwal’s name by tomorrow evening after meeting with party workers,” said Sidhu.

Krishna Kumar Bawa and Kulwant Sidhu were seen trying to surpass each other at every political function of the party.  There is no halka in charge in the Congress party but Atam Nagar constituency was an exception and Sidhu was the “halka in charge” of this constituency. 

SAD workers who joined Cong 

Many SAD workers joined the Congress today, said Kamaljit Karwal. Those who joined the party include Jagdev Singh Lakha, Veena Joshi, Jagjit Singh, Tirat Mehta among others.