Jalandhar Byelection: Vigilance Bureau action against Charanjit Singh Channi gives Congress ammunition

Deepkamal Kaur

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Jalandhar, April 14

The action of the Vigilance Bureau to advance the date of summons issued against ex-Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has given the Congress ammunition in the May 10 Jalandhar Lok Sabha (reserved) bypoll.

It will boomerang

The issue of Channi can boomerang on it at this crucial stage like in the Sangrur LS bypoll. The community is watching it and is terming it to be a vendetta against their Dalit leader. Des Raj Kali, Dalit writer

Since Channi was the first Dalit CM, the action against him has started evoking sentiments in his favour. All senior party leaders chose to rally behind him leaving the battleground Jalandhar and moving to Chandigarh as he appeared before the VB this morning.

Accompanied by Jalandhar candidate Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary, they first joined him in a media address there and then went to his place to attend Akhand Path he had organised on Baisakhi.

The decision of the VB to prepone his summons from April 20 to 14 has somehow come as a blessing in disguise for the Congress as certain party leaders (who were in favour of Channi’s candidature earlier) have chosen to bury their differences, work unitedly and sharpen their attack against the government.

The Congress MLAs, halqa in-charges and councillors have started raking the issues point by point which Channi took up yesterday in his address in Jalandhar.

Sukhwinder Kotli, Adampur legislator, said, “Our ex-CM yesterday spoke for two communities – the Dalits and the Sikhs. Since he attempted to evoke the sentiments of a huge section of voters from both communities, the government could not tolerate it. To control the damage that he could cause further through his campaign ahead, it had tried to muzzle his voice. We dare the government to arrest our leader then we will show it our might.”

Dalit writer from Jalandhar Des Raj Kali has said, “The issue of Channi can boomerang on it at this crucial stage, just as it did in the Sangrur LS bypoll. The community is watching it all and is considering it to be a vendetta against their Dalit leader.”