Top Congress, Akali leaders skip Issru conferences

Gurminder Singh Grewal
Khanna, August 16

Top leaders of the Congress and SAD skipped the Issru conferences this time resulting in low turnout during the functions.

Chief Minister Capt Amrinder Singh did not turn up and even top leaders of the Congress failed to attend the function.

Apart from the Congress, SAD leaders, including Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia, also skipped the function of Issru. Due to the absence of top leaders of main parties, the turnout in the conferences was low as compared to earlier years.

A number of MLAs of the Congress were present at the party conference, but the organisers had to wait for four hours for Cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who reached at around 3 pm. Ashu announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh for Issru village.

The SAD conference was also ignored by the top party leadership as they failed to attend it this year.

Apart from the two main parties, the other political parties, including the AAP and Khaira group, failed to organise their party conferences. Last year, the Khaira group had organised their conference but this time even Sukhpal Singh Khaira did not turn up for the function.

Ashu and other Congress leaders were to plant saplings near the statue site and the placards of their names were placed there. But due to their late arrival, LIP chief Simarjit Singh Bains, after paying homage to the martyr and garlanding the statue, reached near the saplings. He along with other party workers threw the name plates of Congress leaders and himself planted one of the saplings reserved for Congress leaders. After planting the sapling, they put a placard of “Sada pani sada hak” and left the venue.

In SAD rally, senior leader Prem Singh Chandumajra made it clear that they would not allow a single drop of water to be given to any state through the water tribunal and said they would struggle against any such proposal.

He termed the Congress government anti-people and alleged that the Chief minister and his gocernment had failed on all fronts. Chandumjra and other leaders justified the absence of senior leaders due to conferences at Baba Bakala.