My mother too sacrificed her ‘mangalsutra’: Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary

Ashok Kaura

Phillaur, April 25

After being suspended by the Congress for ‘anti-party activities’, Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary said in a statement today that his family was a synonym of party loyalty and his mother Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary too had sacrificed her ‘mangalsutra’ for the party like former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, but instead of acknowledging the sacrifice, the party leadership subjected her to humiliation.

Those who betray party getting ticket

Many leaders have sacrificed their lives for the Congress, but it cannot be the case that one sacrifice is valued while the others are ignored. Those who betray the party were being rewarded with ticket, while those who had been loyal soldiers of the party for decades were slapped with suspension. Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary, Phillaur MLA

Responding to remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi had stated that her mother Sonia Gandhi had sacrificed her ‘mangalsutra’ for the country.

MLA Chaudhary emphasised that the nation respected the sacrifices made by Sonia, but the Congress leadership should also look beyond the Nehru-Gandhi family and acknowledge the sacrifices of other leaders. “My father Santokh Singh Chaudhary gave his life during the Bharat Jodo Yatra while walking with Rahul Gandhi. Rather than sympathising with my mother’s loss, a senior party leader callously dismissed his sacrifice as a consequence of old age and humiliated my mother. The Congress has been built on the blood of numerous leaders who sacrificed their lives, but it cannot be the case that one sacrifice is valued while the others are ignored,” he said. He added that those who betray the party were being rewarded with ticket, while those who had been loyal soldiers of the party for decades were slapped with suspension.

Accusing the party of maintaining double standards, the Phillaur MLA pointed out discrepancies in ticket distribution in the state. He noted that of the eight Lok Sabha tickets announced in the state, barring MPs Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Dr Amar Singh, six went to individuals who had previously contested against the Congress. For the next list, he said, there were plans to nominate leaders who had defeated party candidates in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha election.

Criticising party’s treatment of Dalit leaders, he said while Charanjit Singh Channi is being projected as a Dalit face of the party, it was under his leadership that only five reserved constituencies of the total 34 were won and many stalwart Dalit leaders were denied tickets during the last Vidhan Sabha election. Chaudhary specifically mentioned names such as Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Malkit Singh Dakha, Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Nathu Ram, Satkar Kaur, Ranjit Kaur Bhatti and Tarsem Singh DC as examples of Dalit leaders who were denied tickets.

Further, MLA Chaudhary accused Channi of conniving with private educational institutions and not taking action in the SC scholarships scam, when he was the Chief Minister. He said instead of addressing the issue and initiating criminal proceedings, Channi convened an emergency Cabinet meeting to sweep the matter under the rug, betraying the trust of those underprivileged Dalit students who relied on those scholarships for their education.

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