Rift in Bajwa clan over Qadian seat

Ravi Dhaliwal

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Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, November 21

Fissures within the Bajwa clan have again surfaced with Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa’s wife and his younger brother staking claim to the party ticket from Qadian.

A repeat of the 2012 elections is being played out with Fatehjung Bajwa, whose candidature was announced by the elder Bajwa on July 12, now facing a stiff challenge from his sister-in-law and sitting MLA Charanjit Kaur Bajwa.

In the last elections too Fatehjung had sought the Qadian ticket, but the party high command, who acted at the behest of Bajwa, gave the ticket to Charanjit Kaur. A livid Fatehjung opted out of his sister-in-law’s campaign and instead camped in the neighbouring seat of Sri Hargobindpur to support his friend and party candidate Balwinder Singh Laddi.

On July 12, Fatehjung organised a rally in Qadian where a family loyalist, Manohar Lal Sharma, announced in the presence of CLP leader Charanjit Channi that the younger Bajwa would be contesting. Partap Bajwa was away to Canada and sensing trouble, he immediately asked Sharma to announce his brother’s candidature.

Now, five months later, Charanjit Kaur is saying that “the final decision will be taken by Sonia Gandhi.”