Congress keeps eye on Punjab leaders close to Amarinder Singh
Darpan News Desk IANS, 01 Nov, 2021 10:32 AM
New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) The Congress is closely watching former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's moves and the leaders who have close ties with him. The state unit has been tasked to placate such leaders or arrange a meeting with the high command.
The state unit is reaching out to leaders at the district level while heavyweight leaders are being approached by the AICC. Punjab Congress In-charge Harish Chaudhary has been asked to manage the disgruntled groups in the party and also coordinate with state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had last week met four MLAs who were dropped from the cabinet and are considered close to Amarinder Singh. They are Balbir Singh Sidhu, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Sunder Sham Arora and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and were reportedly given assurances on their interests in the party.
Rahul Gandhi also took feedback from Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and discussed strategy to keep the flock together.
Three Punjab MPs considered close to Amarinder Singh have kept the Congress on its toes - Manish Tewari, Mohd Sadique and Praneet Kaur, wife of the Chief Minister. Tewari did not reply to queries when reached out for comments on the issue though he has been of late critical of the party leaders.
Manish Tewari, last week had said, "I have never seen such chaos & anarchy as what is playing out in Punjab Congress today. Repeated open defiance of AICC by a PCC President, colleagues squabbling publicly with each other like children."
Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had been saying that many people from the party were in touch with him and they will come out in the open when the time comes. "We are waiting for the opportune moment. But I will not take their names. Already my supporters are being harassed," said Amarinder Singh.
The Congress has been upset since the ex-Chief Minister announced that he will contest all 117 seats and probably forge an alliance with the BJP. The move can upset Congress equations in the state.
Addressing a youth rally at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar, Amit Shah lashed out at former Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
Terming the trolling unfortunate and shameful, the Hyderabad MP said it shows how communalism, radicalisation, and hatred against Muslims has spread in the country.
The Punjab government on Friday ordered a probe into former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's relations with his Pakistani woman friend Aroosa Alam and her relation with the ISI. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa said the government would probe the ISI links of Aroosa Alam.
Raising the demand at a meeting with Union Health and Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya, Badal said it is equally important to diversify Punjab's economy as well as its agriculture.
Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, representing the farmers' group, submitted before a bench headed by justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul that road blockade would end, if permission is granted to continue the protest either at Ramlila Maidan or Jantar Mantar.
Farmers protesting on the Ghazipur border at Delhi for the last 11 months against the three farm laws enacted by the Centre last year, have started to open the service lane to ease the traffic. They said it is the police who have closed the road and not them. Farmers belonging to the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) on Thursday started removing the tents built on the service road to start the traffic movement.
