Congress divided in Malout over allotment of ticket

Archit Watts

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Tribune News Service

Malout, November 15

The Congress in Muktsar’s Malout city seems to be a divided house over allotment of ticket for the Assembly elections. The battle lines are drawn between Jaitu MLA Joginder Singh Panjgrain and former Malout MLA Nathu Ram.

The difference between the two leaders was exposed when they and their supporters protested over the SYL canal separately on Saturday. Senior leaders, including district Congress president Gurmeet Singh Khudian, expressed their unhappiness over it.

Khudian told The Tribune, “The Punjab Congress had scheduled protests under the leadership of Congress MLAs or candidates who lost the previous elections. The party had scheduled a protest under the leadership of Nathu Ram in Malout. Panjgrain, too, protested, sending a wrong message to the cadre.”

Nathu Ram, who has applied for the ticket from Malout and Balluana (in Fazilka district), said: “I protested in Malout on the party’s direction. I am unaware why Panjgrain, who is also a ticket aspirant, protested separately and that too on the same day.”

Panjgrain, for his part, said, “The Congress had asked all leaders to protest in their areas. So, I protested in Malout. There is no factionalism in the party. We are united and sure of our victory.”

In a related development, Congress activists under the leadership of party secretaries Atlee Brar, Shubhdeep Bittu, Jaskaran Singh Lakhewali and Jatinder Ahuja today held a meeting and raised questions against the protest by Panjgrain. Some of them termed him an outsider. Senior Congress leaders said party activists had decided to resign if Panjgrain was fielded from Malout.

Battle lines drawn

I protested in Malout on the party’s direction. I am unaware why Joginder Singh Panjgrain, who is a ticket aspirant, protested separately and that too on the same day. —Nathu Ram, former malout mla

The Congress had asked all leaders to protest in their areas. So, I protested in Malout. There is no factionalism in the party. We are united and sure of our victory. —Joginder Singh Panjgrain, jaitu mla