Dissident Punjab Congmen seek Delhi’s nod for rally

CHANDIGARH, NOV 12: A group of dissident Congress workers, led by former State PCC chief Santokh Singh Randhawa, has left for Delhi to meet...

CHANDIGARH, NOV 12: A group of dissident Congress workers, led by former State PCC chief Santokh Singh Randhawa, has left for Delhi to meet the Congress high command and get its support for their November 23 rally at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district.

Though Randhawa denied that the rally was of rebels — the ostensible reason being “highlighting the failures of the State’s Akali-BJP Government” — the PPCC had last week opposed such dissident meetings. However, State party unit chief Rajinder Kaul Bhattal has apparently been invited for the November 23 event.

The same group had organised a rally in Jalandhar in the honour of Meira Kumar on November 1 too. However, they had received a set-back then as Kumar, who is the AICC General Secretary in charge of Punjab, failed to turn up.

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Before they left for Delhi on Tuesday, the dissidents met at Randhawa’s residence to devise their strategy. According to sources, former Union minister Buta Singh and former All India Youth Congress chief Maninderjit Singh Bitta have already reached Delhi to meet the party high command.

The rebels — including Randhawa and PPCC vice-president Avtar Henry — feel the state Congress leadership has failed to live up to the expectations of partymen. “We are trying to play the role of real opposition,” Randhawa claims.

He also listed the “failures” of the PPCC, saying it had failed to take up the harassment of paddy farmers. The rebels blame the State Government for the tardy procurement of the crop, adding to farmers’ woes.

The dissidents also accuse the Akali-BJP regime of harassing sarpanchs supporting the Congress, and say the party leadership has ignored even this.

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