Nothing wrong in giving ticket to MLAs’ kin: CM

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 7

Though the senior Congress leaders had claimed that the party tickets would be given on the merit but after the announcement of party candidate lists it was noticed that the relatives and close aides of senior leaders got majority of tickets.

The dominance Congress legislators over ticket allocation for upcoming municipality elections is becoming a reason for annoyance among grassroots congress workers. There are reports that party’s senior leadership has entertained its celebrity face and Local Bodies Minister, Navjot Singh Sidhu, MLA west Rajkumar Verka, MLA north Sunil Dutti , Member Parliament Gurjit Singh Aujla by filing their close associates and relatives for the MC polls.

The resentment among party workers is visible as they feel that Captain-led Congress government has ignored their contribution behind party’s landslide victory in previous Assembly poll and awarded tickets as per the will of the senior legislators.

One of the party workers said there was speculation that Congress would ignore common party workers, who were willing to contest but we felt that it would not happen under Captain Amrinder Singh but unfortunately it happened.

When asked from Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh over the favoritism over the distribution of party tickets he refuted the allegation and said, “We had constituted a committee of MLAs to suggest the candidates. All names have been finalised at party high command office in New Delhi. The high command verified the claims of aspirants and recommendations of committee before releasing the seats. He said MLAs helped others to get tickets and there is nothing wrong in this practice.

“I was an MLA from Patiala and my wife was also an MP from the Lok Sabha. We don’t find anything wrong in it”, added Captain.