Cong’s unity show short-lived as Amarinder takes on Bajwa

Chandigarh, March 28

Barely days after putting up a united face at an election rally for next month’s by-election to Dhuri Assembly seat, factionalism in the Punjab Congress today resurfaced as senior party MP Amarinder Singh accused PCC chief Pratap Singh Bajwa of trying to create “dual power centres” for the by-election campaign.

Amarinder, Congress’s Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha and former Punjab Chief Minister, strongly disapproved Bajwa’s “attempts to create dual power centres for Dhuri Assembly bye-election campaign” by nominating a separate election in-charge even though PCC vice-president and MLA Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi had already been assigned the task.

Amarinder also took strong exception to PCC not inviting him for tomorrow’s crucial meeting at Dhuri in Sangrur district to chalk out the campaign strategy. All other senior leaders, including CLP leader Sunil Jakhar and former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur, have been invited for the meeting.

“Since the PCC president has moved his entire office and secretariat to Dhuri in an apparent bid to create two power centres for the campaign, which will obviously confuse the Congress workers and supporters, it may be difficult for me to go to Dhuri lest the workers get confused and disoriented as to whose guidelines to follow during the campaign,” Amarinder said in a statement here.

The Congress MP, however, said that he wanted to campaign in Dhuri and had also been present on the day nomination papers were filed. “But PCC apparently did not want me there for the reasons best known to it,” he remarked.

When contacted, Bajwa refused to comment on the charge levelled against him by Amarinder. “I don’t have anything to say on this, I don’t wish to comment,” Bajwa told PTI.

Asked why Amarinder had not been invited for tomorrow’s meeting, Bajwa said, “I am not aware about this. The PCC office will be able to throw light on this since they have handled the invites.” — PTI