Congress leaders at odds over new district unit chiefs

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 23

Days ahead of the announcement of presidents of the district units of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), differences have surfaced among party leaders over the choice of candidates whose names have been shortlisted for the posts.

‘Concerns taken into account’

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sunil Jakhar said concerns of party leaders and MLAs had been taken into account while shortlisting the names. The central party leadership would take the final decision, he added.

A number of party leaders and Congress MLAs in Ropar, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Moga, Amritsar and Sangrur are learnt to have urged Punjab affairs incharge Asha Kumari and PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar to choose from among the candidates who have worked for the party at the grass-roots level.

A few days ago, Asha Kumari had held discussions with Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and the PPCC chief, and sent the shortlisted names to party national president Sonia Gandhi. Representations against the shortlisted candidates are learnt to have reached the office of AICC general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal.

In a representation, Punjab Youth Congress president and outgoing Ropar district Congress chief Barinder Dhillon is learnt to have opposed the name of a candidate, stating the selection was not fair. He is learnt tohave quoted names of candidates who have workedhard for the partyin the past.

In Hoshiarpur, Chabbewal MLA Raj Kumar Chabbewal is learnt to have urged the party leaders to appoint a hardcore Congress man insteadof those who had joined from other parties. In Moga, Bagha Purana LA Darshan Brar and Moga MLA Harjot Kamal Singh have opposed the continuation of district president Maheshinder Singh Nihalsinghwala. Brar said he had taken up the matter with the PPCC chief.

Similarly, two Cabinet ministers are supporting two candidates for the post of the Amritsar district president. Amritsar party leaders want a hardcore Congress man to head the unit instead of choosing those who have joined from other parties. In Sangrur, there are also differences among party leaders over the choice of the candidates.

When contacted, Jakhar said concerns of party leaders and MLAs had been taken into account while shortlisting the names. The central party leadership would take the final decision, he said.