‘There is no infighting… Cong is a disciplined party’

Within the Congress, there is no infighting the way you perceive it. The party as an organisation is solidly united under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. The mammoth rally at Bathinda on January 15 and the enthusiastic and overwhelming response of the people to Sonia clearly underline the fact that the Congress party is still the party of the masses, who have rejected communal and corrupt forces. The Congress is a democratic organisation and there is a mechanism for resolving differences within the party. Sometimes differences of opinion are settled at the level of the high command. The Akali-BJP alliance is living in a fool’s paradise if they even dream of getting a single seat in Punjab in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

• Will the present arrangement bridge the differences between you and your deputy, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal?

P.D. Raturi

Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, the Deputy Chief Minister designate, is a senior colleague and all of us are working unitedly for the overall development of the State and fulfillment of the promises made to the people in our election manifesto. The so-called differences were blown out of all proportions by the media. Whatever little differences there were have been amicably resolved.

• Even after the ‘‘compromise formula’’, Bhattal was quoted to have said, ‘Who is Amarinder to give me power?’ In such a situation, how successful will be this attempt at damage control?

Amit

Rajinder Kaur Bhattal has denied making a statement in the media. She has also clarified at a public function at Malerkotla that she was misquoted and misreported in a section of the press.

• Bhattal, who is facing corruption charges, has been made your deputy. How will this affect your anti-corruption drive? Will the case against Bhattal take a backseat?

Yogesh K. Bhatia

As regards the case against Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, the matter is sub-judice since it is under consideration of the Hon’ble Court and I would not like to make any comment. However, I reiterate that there will be no dilution of the campaign against corruption, which was the major plank in our election manifesto.

• The dissident camp is raising questions about Bhattal’s powers as the Deputy Chief Minister. There seems to be a lot of unrest among them. What are you doing to keep them happy? Aren’t these signs of an imminent split in the Punjab PCC?

Shailendra Kumar

Nobody has raised these questions. As you are aware, the Congress is a disciplined organisation and all major decisions are taken in consultation with the high command. It is laughable to even think of the possibility of a split. This is wishful thinking on the part of the Akali-BJP alliance, which will soon face reality when they bite the dust in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.