Congress begins damage control after two former MLAs join AAP

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, April 10

Having faced a double drubbing post the exit of two of its former MLAs in a span of just five days, the Congress has begun a damage control exercise in these areas.

Chabbewal, ashu on the job

• The Congress leadership have already deployed its leaders, including Deputy CLP Raj Kumar Chabbewal and acting president Bharat Bhushan Ashu to delve into the issues affecting the voters of Jalandhar West
• Both the leaders have been organising nukkad meetings with party supporters while telling them that their needs would be given due care

While Congress former MLA Sushil Rinku quit the party on Wednesday to become a candidate for Aam Aadmi Party for the May 10 Jalandhar Lok Sabha bypoll, its former MLA from Kartarpur Surinder Singh Chaudhary on Monday too quit the Congress and joined AAP through CM Bhagwant Mann. His joining was facilitated through Rinku.

The party leadership had already deployed its leaders. including Deputy CLP Raj Kumar Chabbewal and acting president Bharat Bhushan Ashu to delve into the issues affecting the voters of Jalandhar West. They have been organising nukkad meetings with the party supporters while telling them that their needs would be given due care. Even as about four MC councillors, including Rinku’s wife Sunita Rinku, Radha Pathak and Harjinder Ladda joined the AAP, the party has been trying to keep the other councillors intact.

PCC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who has been camping in Jalandhar for the second consecutive day, said, “I am sure we will not face much loss in Kartarpur because of quitting of Chaudhary Surinder Singh for we had already been looking for a replacement there. We were getting reports that the people were not happy with his work and I am happy at the riddance. This will rather boost our cadres there who would now work more enthusiastically in the area after he has parted away. Our teams will camp in Kartarpur too just the way they are doing in Jalandhar West also.”

The party has gone on an overdrive in other constituencies of Jalandhar too to ensure that more poaching does not take place.