At a time when its central leadership is looking to stitch seat-sharing deal for the Lok Sabha elections, voices within the Punjab unit of Congress Tuesday once again spoke against any tie-up with the Aam Aadmi Party saying that the grand old party doesn't need “crutches” “Baiskhian di ki lod hai…party nu parchol karni chaheedi (There is no need for crutches. The party should introspect),” Shamsher Singh Dullo, a former state unit chief, told The Indian Express. Dullo said a majority of Congress leaders in the state unit were against any pre-poll alliance with the ruling AAP and have conveyed as much to party's Punjab affairs in-charge Devender Yadav. In state on his maiden visit, Yadav held three meetings in Chandigarh with senior party leaders, including with sitting and former MPS, MLAs and the Lok Sabha ticket aspirants. A senior leader from Amritsar said that “larger sentiment during the meeting was against any pre-poll tie-up with AAP in Punjab.” This comes on a day when AAP's Delhi convenor Gopal Rai said the party wants to contest the Lok Sabha polls with alliance partners in five states — Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Goa and Gujarat. Out of these five states, AAP does not have a presence in the Haryana state assembly. It has 62 out of 70 MLAs in Delhi; 92 out of 117 in Punjab; four out of 182 in Gujarat, and two out of 40 in Goa. "The (seat-sharing) talks have begun between the two parties. We made our position, that we want to contest in an alliance in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Goa and Gujarat, clear. Till now, discussions have been positive,” Rai told reporters in Delhi. Discussions for seat-sharing between the two INDIA bloc parties commenced on Monday and leaders of the two parties would meet again soon to chalk out modalities and finalise an arrangement. During the meeting on Tuesday, discussion took place on many issues including an alliance with the AAP, said Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. He, however, reiterated that the state unit was preparing to contest all 13 seats in Punjab. On the possible alliance with the AAP, former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said, "Discussions on this matter will be held with the high command in New Delhi. I can assure you that the concerns of the state leadership and the state as a whole will not be disregarded and will be taken into account when making a decision." Yadav said his meetings with state leaders will provide him with a clear understanding of the Punjab unit's position ahead of the upcoming elections. "I am committed to engaging with every leader, worker, and official to address their concerns and gain a nuanced understanding of party’s functioning and understand state’s positioning ahead of the Lok Sabha elections,” said Yadav. With many leaders objecting to rallies being conducted by Navjot Singh Sidhu, Yadav said he will speak to the former state unit chief on the concerns over the issue. "I have taken details and I will speak to Sidhu ji," he told reporters. Warring, while speaking to reporters, said whoever breaks the party discipline, action will be taken against him or her by the party. Asked whether Sidhu was violating discipline, Yadav, however, said, "It has to be seen and understood and thereafter, I will comment. He (Sidhu) will meet me tomorrow and I will discuss with him the kind of concerns that have come up”. Party sources said many party leaders during the meeting with Yadav sought steps to "discipline" Sidhu. More than a dozen party leaders stayed away from the meeting, with some linking it to the party not taking any action against Sidhu, who has held three public meetings — two in Bathinda and one in Hoshiarpur on Tuesday — without the participation of senior state leaders. Meanwhile, an unfazed Sidhu attacked his detractors in the party. "If 5,000-7,000 people gather at some place, why does someone have a stomach ache? Neither do I have any sand pit nor any business. For whom, are we fighting? We are fighting to change this system in Punjab," he said, addressing the rally in Hoshiarpur. The Congress will be back on its feet the day its workers start saying "our leaders have not sold their integrity and they are ready to die for the sake of Punjab", Sidhu said. Local Congress leader Vishwanath Bunty organised the Hoshiarpur rally. During the 'Jittega Punjab, Jittegi Congress' rally, Sidhu emphasized the need for a change in approach among Congress leaders, urging them to show respect to party workers and recognise the contributions of senior leaders. One of the votaries of alliance with AAP, Sidhu, however, attacked the state government, saying it has failed on various fronts. “AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann have changed their lifestyles instead of the system,” he alleged. Earlier, rally of the former cricketer at Mehraj village in Bathinda on December 17 had evoked a sharp reaction from several Congress leaders including Partap Singh Bajwa who had asked Sidhu to join the party's programmes instead of setting up his "own stage". Asked about Sidhu's rallies, senior leader Randhawa refused to comment, saying he does not have any good relations with him.
