Dullo meets Rahul, opposes tickets for turncoats

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 8

Ahead of the meeting of the Congress central election committee (CEC), the issue of inducting turncoats into the party and giving them tickets at the cost of the party leaders was today raised by Rajya Sabha MP Shamsher Singh Dullo with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Dullo, a former PPCC president, also met Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Another Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa also met Rahul but the context of his discussion could not be ascertained.

Sources said senior party leaders had urged the party president to first decide on the tickets for the aspirants within the party before taking a call on the turncoats.

A few days ago, besides Dullo, Partap Singh Bajwa, Ambika Soni, Ravneet Bittu and Chaudhary Santokh had raised the issue with the Congress vice-president, much to the annoyance of the Capt Amarinder Singh camp that has been favouring and fielding new-comers to improve the wining prospects of the party.

In the last two days, some prominent leaders of the Dalit community from the party have met Rahul, members of the screening committee and CEC to air their grievances over induction of outsiders.