Bajwa, Mohindra to stay away

Varinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 22

The rival Partap Singh Bajwa group and some senior Congress leaders will stay away from Capt Amarinder Singh’s January 24 “lalkar rally” in Amritsar as the party high command has not given a clear go-ahead to the event.

The Amarinder camp claimed that the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) has given its consent to the rally. Members of the Amarinder camp say the rally will not only throw a challenge the ruling SAD-BJP combine on burning issues such as drugs, but will also strengthen the party for the 2017 Assembly elections.

Veteran Congress leader and Patiala (Rural) MLA Brahm Mohindra, who was invited by Amarinder to the rally following their patch-up, has decided to not to attend the rally saying he will not do anything which is out of the ambit of the AICC.

“It was good to have Amarinder in my house. He came to invite me to the rally but I have conveyed it to him that I would not be able to attend the rally until it is cleared by the party high command,” said Mohindra.

Amarinder was busy holding meetings with senior party leaders to give final touches to the arrangements. He was making it a point to personally invite all 43 party MLAs.

Meanwhile, Amarinder’s confidant Karanpal Singh Sekhon cleared the air over the status of the event saying: It was a rally of the Amritsar constituency….all Congress leaders are with us.” Amarinder’s another confidant and PPCC vice-president Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi said: “If the party high command had any objection, the AICC would not have allowed us to organise the rally. Certain vested interests are creating misinformation about the high command’s nod, but everything is in the knowledge of the AICC. The rally is going to be a huge success.”

The rally was being considered as a “fresh assault” not only against the SAD-BJP combine but also against the rival Partap Singh Bajwa camp in the ongoing leadership tussle between Amarinder and Bajwa.

The Bajwa group was taking the rally as an attempt by Amarinder to “browbeat” the party high command. Bajwa said he had been invited for the rally but he would not attend it unless directed by the party high command.