Atam Nagar trouble: Punjab congress leaders up in arms, oppose ticket to Akali

The Delhi protest was staged by senior Congress leaders K K Bawa, Kulwant Sidhu, Parvinder Lapran and Gurjeet Singh Shinh, who held banners in their hands with a message that an ‘outsider’ candidate will not be tolerated in any case.

All four of them had staked cliam to the Congress ticket from Atam Nagar. Speaking to The Indian Express, Bawa said, “Something utterly shameful is happening in Congress now. We have been working for the party since decades and now a person with criminal background who always worked against Congress will get the ticket. First, party did the drama of asking for applications and now an Akali is being given ticket at the last minute.”

“Akali aur dalbadlu nahi hoga sweekar (Akali or party-hopping candidate will not be accepted),” said the banners. Lapran said, “I was even named in the attempt to murder FIR and spent weeks in jail while fighting for the party during the Chitta Raavan issue. Is this the reward we are getting now that an Akali will get ticket from our area?”

Congress leaders said that “even if a common Congress worker is given the ticket, they won’t object but an Akali will not be accepted as candidate in any case”. “How can we ask our workers to ask votes for a person and shout slogans in his favour who was working against us till now. Karwal is an Akali and will always remain so. Ticket to a worker is acceptable, not an Akali. Especially an Akali, who had even thrashed a government employee and stripped him. We gave everything fighting against hooliganism of Bains in the area and now party will give ticket to his aide. This is unacceptable,” they said.

In 2009, Simarjit Bains and Karwal allegedly thrashed tehsildar G S Benipal in full public view and an FIR was filed at Sadar police station. After CBI investigation, the case is still pending in court. They were booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (manhandling public servants), 332 (deter public servant from official duty), 394 (causing hurt in committing robbery) of IPC.