A train to Badals’ camp seems to be chugging on a fast track. Two prominent Congress leaders — one sitting MlA and other State’s former Cabinet Minister — on Friday shifted their loyalties towards the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD); while another sitting legislator is in queue.
Already, around 25 senior leaders have hopped on to the political wagon for joining the SAD since it has created history by returning to power for the second consecutive term after 2012 Assembly polls.
The latest are party’s three-time Talwandi Sabo MlA from Bathinda district Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu, and former Minister Malkiat Singh Birmi from ludhiana district, who gave up the “hand” to hold the “scale”.
Indications are that former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Capt Amarinder Singh’s lose confidant Arvind Khanna, sitting MlA from Dhuri, too is viewing Badals’ camp as his political destination — enough to be a sign of simmering discontentment within the party.
Sidhu, a prominent leader in the Malwa region, once remained a close confidante of Capt Amarinder.
He contested as an independent candidate from Talwandi Sabo in 2002 assembly polls, and defeated the then Congress candidate Harminder Singh Jassi by a small margin of 236 votes,
following which Capt Amarinder made him join the Congress in 2004.
later, Sidhu successfully contested the assembly elections in 2007 and 2012 on the Congress ticket from
Talwandi Sabo. However, his closeness with the Badals
is no secret, as has always acknowledged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as
his ‘guru’.
Upset over the “deal” with former Finance Minister and People’s Party of Punjab’s (PPP) chief Manpreet Badal for Bathinda parliamentary seat, Sidhu decided to part ways with the Congress for “ignoring the party workers”.
Manpreet, Badal’s estranged nephew, is set to contest from Bathinda seat against his sister-in-law and sitting MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal with the backing of Congress, though the party is yet to make official announcement.
Sidhu, only recently, hit the headlines for his “role” in an alleged multi-crore investment scam in which he was allegedly arrested by the Chandigarh Police but later let off when brought to a local police station.
Accusing the state party chief Partap Singh Bajwa of relegating him to a position of playing second fiddle, Sidhu made the matters worse for the party in Bathinda — known as Badal’s citadel.
It has been learnt that senior Congress leaders had made every possible effort to convince Sidhu into accepting party’s alliance with Manpreet for Bathinda seat, that all went in vain.
“Congress in Punjab and at the Center is on suicidal path… The top leaderships’ non-decisiveness is having direct impact on the workers in Punjab… the State Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa is taking
unilateral decisions like in the case of PPP supremo Manpreet Badal,” said disgruntled Sidhu.
“The decision to support Manpreet by Congress is most dangerous and uncalled for by the top Congress leadership… this decision is
taken without taking Punjab Congress MlAs into confidence, particularly those from Malwa region,” he said.
He added that the party high command is not only compromising, but joining hands with Manpreet who had tried to damage the prospects of Congress candidates in the Assembly polls, that cost the party defeat.
“We feel cheated and deceived by Bajwa and central leadership of Congress on Manpreet’s issue,” he said.
“Everyone in the Congress wants to become a leader and no one is prepared to work as a worker,” he said adding that Bajwa was unable to take workers along with him.
“The Congress is faction ridden in Punjab… Bajwa’s only aim is to become the Chief Minister… the decision to back Manpreet is the last nail in the Congress’ coffin,” he said.
Sidhu is the second sitting Congress MlA that deserted the party, while resigning from the membership of the party, and also the Punjab legislative Assembly.
Before him, Moga MlA Joginder Pal Jain joined the Akali Dal, who re-contested the polls and re-elected as SAD MlA from Moga. With this, the total number of Congress MlAs has come down to 44.
Another Congressmen Birmi, who has been the Jails Minister in Capt Amarinder Singh’s government in 2002, has given a shot in the SAD’s arm in ludhiana.
Former Minister, Birmi’s political graph took a dive when he lost two successive assembly elections in 2007 and 2012 from ludhiana Rural and Atam Nagar, respectively.
SAD chief Sukhbir Badal has ensured to reward the Congressmen-turned-Akalis with plum positions
including Jain with Punjab Warehousing Corporation chairman’s post, former Minister Avtar Singh Brar with PRTC chairman’s post, Deepinder Singh Dhillon
by fielding him from Patiala seat against his political maestro and sitting MP
Perneet Kaur.
As of now, Sukhbir announced that Sidhu would be the party candidate
for Talwandi Sabo
bypolls.