Hours after the former SAD leader Sher Singh Ghubaya was welcomed into the Congress by party president Rahul Gandhi, former Punjab minister Hansraj Joshan, former MLA Dr Mohinder Rinwa, and party leader Anish Sidana warned the party against naming Ghubaya a candidate from Ferozepur. The three also sought a meeting with the CM Amarinder Singh to lodge their protest. The meeting which was first scheduled for Tuesday, has now been postponed to Wednesday. Amid rising voices of dissent within Congress, party took Ghubaya to Delhi to make him join in presence of Rahul Gandhi, general secretary incharge Asha Kumari and PPCC president Sunil Kumar Jakhar. Cabinet Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, who is also a contender for the ticket from Ferozepur, is also learnt to be upset with the Ghubaya’s entry. He too is learnt to have sought a meeting with Amarinder. “I am not going to take this,” said Dr Rinwa, adding that Ghubaya has been a non-performer. “He has not done anything for the border district. Lots of problems are being faced by farming community but he did not do anything. Why is Congress party, elected to Punjab Assembly by a fantastic majority by people of Punjab bringing a failed SAD leader in the party fold? To cap all this, he is a controversial man after the allegations of a sleazy video. Why do we need him?” He added, “When he was an Akali, he was getting cases registered against us and Congress workers. Now, we are getting an Akali leader when the party itself is so discredited in the state.” Joshan also said that if party gave him the ticket there would be strong reactions from within the Congress. “His son is already an MLA. Congress has given him enough. He should work as a worker and not seek a ticket now. We will meet CM, AICC president and PPCC president on the issue. They can give the ticket to anyone from the Congress. I have no issue but they should not import a candidate.” Anish Sidana too had similar reaction when he said it would give wrong signals to the committed party workers. “He was getting cases registered against us and now we are taking him.” With the leaders revolting, Asha Kumari told The Indian Express, “The party has not won a seat in Ferozepur for 40 years. If we have consolidated the seat by bringing a leader, where is the problem? He has joined us without any precondition. If the party thinks he can win, we will field him definitely. But the party is yet to get a report from the ground,” she said. The party is holding its screening committee meeting on March 10 to shortlist the candidates.
