Capt loyalists skip crucial Cong poll meeting

Sushil Goyal

Tribune News Service

Kakkarwal (Dhuri), March 29

The united face put up by the state Congress on March 23, the day party candidate Simar Partap Singh Barnala filed papers for the Dhuri assembly bypoll, could not last even a week.

A party meeting organised at the residence of the Congress candidate’s father, Gaganjeet Singh Barnala, today to review the poll preparations was attended by only seven of the 44 MLAs.

Capt Amarinder Singh’s camp had yesterday decided to boycott the campaign.

Besides 37 MLAs, all three Lok Sabha MPs from Punjab, Capt Amarinder Singh, Santokh Singh Chaudhary and Ravneet Singh Bittu, also stayed away from the meeting although the PPCC had invited all MPs, former MPs, MLAs, former MLAs and senior leaders of the party. The MLAs who attended the meeting were Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Lal Singh, Brahm Mohindra, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Parminder Singh Pinki and Navtej Singh.

When asked if any action would be taken against the leaders who did not attend the meeting, PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa declined to comment. He, however, said AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmad would decide on the matter.

Tript Rajinder Bajwa alleged he was not allowed to address the meeting. He claimed Capt Amarinder had not been invited for the event. He said the PPCC chief stated at the meeting that the “party did not want big leaders to win the byelection”.

Brahm Mohindra said Shakeel Ahmad should have himself ensured that Capt Amarinder attended the meeting. He also asked Ahmad for making Capt Amarinder the in charge of the Dhuri by-election “so as to to get favourable result”.

Ahmad claimed there was no factionalism in the state Congress. He said Capt Amarinder had not come to the meeting due to some miscommunication. He said he had spoken to Captain this morning, and that the latter assured him that he would campaign for four days in Dhuri.

Regarding the absence of Congress Legislature Party’s leader Sunil Jakhar, Ahmad said he could not come as his father was not keeping well.

Sonia’s visit put off
Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s March 31 visit to Punjab has been postponed for an indefinite period. Shakeel Ahmad, AICC general secretary and Punjab affairs in charge, said Sonia Gandhi was scheduled to visit Punjab to take stock of the crops damaged recently due to hailstorms and rains. Ahmad said the programme had been deferred due to the prediction of heavy rain from
March 31 to April 2.