Cong MLA writes to Sonia seeking change of guard in Punjab unit

“I issued an appeal to the high command to review the political situation in Punjab. The present-day Punjab Congress is being run like a corporate company in which traditional Congressmen and workers have no say,” Sarkaria said in the letter to Sonia on Saturday.

Pointing out that party programmes at the grassroots had “flopped terribly” because people did not believe in the new state Congress leadership,Sarkaria said,“..this leadership has miserably failed to win the trust of party leaders and grassroot workers and people are leaving the party en masse. If no corrective action is taken,a situation may soon arise where the Punjab Congress will be left with only so-called leaders and no workers.

“Keeping this in mind,I urge the party high command to give command back to a person who is recognised by the entire top leadership and who can take everyone along,” Sarkaria said in an apparent reference to Captain Singh.

“I also have no compunction in admitting that Maharaja Captain Amarinder Singh did a lot for Punjabis as well as the Punjab Congress during his stint as chief minister as well as Punjab Congress president,” Sarkaria said,listing issues such as river water,introduction of Bt cotton in Malwa and maintaining that the entire party was “united as one under his command as long as he was at the helm”.

He wrote that he felt that “Maharaja Sahib is unjustly criticised for the 2012 debacle”.

Insiders said that Sarkaria was miffed at the appointment of Congress MLA from Amritsar Central O P Soni as vice-president of the party and in-charge of Majha region,and had been repeatedly urging Bajwa to either get Soni removed as Majha in-charge or get him shifted. Soni and Sarkaria do not get along with each other. Sarkaria had welcomed the appointment of Bajwa as PPCC president but,sources said,Soni’s appointment annoyed him.

Sarkaria also hit out at the PPCC leadership for not doing enough against the drug menace. “I feel the Punjab Congress is not doing enough to create awareness against drug misuse. I feel sad that persons and families in the Congress who were associated with various nefarious activities,including drug trafficking,have received pride of place in the Punjab Congress. Such persons have earlier been found to be in collusion with terrorists during the dark days of terrorism. It is unfortunate that the party high command has not gone through reports about the activities of such leaders,” Sarkaria said.

When contacted,Sarkaria said he would name the persons involved in nefarious activities at an appropriate time.

Bajwa did not answer phone calls nor respond to a text message on the issue.