Punjab’s former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal on Monday added a new dimension to the ongoing infighting in the State Congress unit.
Bhattal minced no words to attack her co-party member and Congress Deputy leader in the lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh for straying away from the party line, at the national level, over the issue of Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill.
This is not all! The firebrand leader has also attacked the Patiala Royal for his statement that organising rallies in Punjab was more important than supporting the party MPs in its dharna outside the Parliament during the recently-concluded Monsoon Session.
“Instead of opposing the party leadership, Capt Amarinder should have gone to the Parliament and pressurized the BJP for implementing the GST Bill in the same manner as proposed by the Congress-led UPA government,” said Bhattal.
She made it clear, “Congress is not against the GST…in fact, it is Congress’ brainchild. In such circumstances, Capt Amarinder should have attended the monsoon session, also for being the party’s deputy leader in the lok Sabha, and supported the party’s protest against the GST bill.”
Maintaining that Capt Amarinder is party’s “responsible” leader, Bhattal said that instead of pressurizing the party leadership, he should have pressurized the BJP.
At the same time, Bhattal expressed surprise over Capt Amarinder’s statement for giving more importance to organizing rallies in Punjab than participating in party’s dharna outside Parliament in protest against expulsion of 25 Congress MPs.
“How can a senior leader like Capt Amarinder give such a statement! He’s not a kid…staging dharnas and protesting against the government is a part of democratic system. He himself has staged dharna against the then NDA government when he was Punjab Chief Minister,” she added.
On the issue of staying away from rallies of Capt Amarinder Singh and the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa, Bhattal said: “Before starting his mass contact programme, Capt Amarinder came to me and I suggested him to make a thorough programme by contacting the party high command under a proper system. But, he continued with his programme.”
Bhattal also advised the “junior leader”, like Bajwa and Congress legislative Party leader Sunil Jakhar of taking the opinion of senior leader before chalking out any plan.