Describing himself as a fighter, Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa on Thursday said that he could not show his back to his adversaries. His assertion came in reaction to the growing demand for his resignation as PPCC chief by the senior party leaders including party legislators and district presidents.
“I am a fighter and I have never back out from fighting. I have moved from a party worker up to this position. I cannot run away like this,” Bajwa made it clear to his rivals. The tirade to oust Bajwa and bring Patiala Royal Capt Amarinder Singh back as the PPCC president has continued since long. It gained momentum in the wake of forthcoming civic body polls with several senior leaders, including Batala MlA Ashwani Sekhri, demanding Bajwa’s resignation.
The battle for supremacy has been going on between Bajwa and Capt Amarinder ever since the former took over as State Congress chief, and gained ground following a series of defeats the party faced under Bajwa. In recent meetings between the party MlAs and party’s vice-president Rahul Gandhi, the Congressmen pressed upon him the need for drawing back the party reins from Bajwa for taking the Congress towards victory in Punjab.
Majority of MlAs, hailing from Capt Amarinder camp, has told Rahul Gandhi that Bajwa, during his term, has remained “incompetent” and “ineffective” in countering the Akali Dal in Punjab. Only couple of days ago, Batala MlA Sekhri had accused Bajwa of “deliberately sabotaging his electoral prospects by delaying the authorization forms” demanding allotment of Congress poll symbol to 35 candidates.
Threatening to step down as a legislator in protest against PPCC chief, Sekhri had also said that Bajwa breached the party hierarchy by keeping him and Batala district chief out of the selection criterion.
“Some extraordinary reasons are behind what happened in Batala. I have everything on record with full video proof. The party command is also apprised about everything. I would reveal everything but after municipal polls,” Bajwa said. Without naming any leader, Bajwa pointed that action would be taken against the people who are going against the party in these elections.
Available information suggests that Sekhri allegedly ran away with the authorization forms from the office of returning officer, when Bajwa’s aide came to submit the same. Following, the state election commission had refused to allot Congress symbol to 28 nominees.
ACTION AGAINST REBElS SOON
Bajwa also made it clear that the party would soon take its call on the rebel candidates. “We have taken and collected all the reports. We will take action against all the rebels candidates in a day or so,” said Bajwa.
RAHUl TO ATTEND KISAN RAllY AT MOGA IN MARCH
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi would address the farmers’ rally in Moga in the next month. “We have fixed March 29 as the day for rally. We are awaiting nod from Rahul Gandhi’s office, and we are expected to get it soon,” said Bajwa. He apprehended that the ruling SAD-BJP combine Government would make attempts to create hurdles for people reaching the venue of the rally — Moga mandi.
“We are not going to get Government transport. Most of the private buses come under Badals. The Badal family has control over 70 per cent of transport business in the state...they will not permit vehicle owners to ferry people for the rally,” he said. Bajwa said that March 29 being a Sunday, we are expecting that we cane utilize services of buses of educational institutions for ferrying people.
BAJWA WANT SUKHBIR’S DOPE, PSYCHIATRIC TESTS
The political discourse in Punjab hit another low on Thursday with the state Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa attacking the state Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal for his “weird” announcements or claims.
On a high over the steps taken by his Government to curb drug menace in the State, Sukhbir’s rival colleague, Bajwa, wanted him to undergo a dope test. Not only this, Bajwa also wanted Sukhbir to undergo psychiatric treatment.
“I urge Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to get his son’s proper checkup done…first a dope test and then take him to a good psychiatrist,” said Bajwa while referring to Sukhbir’s claims of introducing buses which would run on water.
Bajwa also agreed to consider the suggestion of one of the journo regarding taking up the matter with the Governor as Sukhbir hold important posts of Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister.