After firmly placing Capt Amarinder Singh in the driver’s seat for taking the Congress party towards victory in 2017 Punjab polls, the party’s central leadership is fast removing anyone coming in his way.
Just about a week after senior party leader Bir Devinder Singh was removed, another vocal party leader, Jagmeet Brar, was pushed out of the way on Monday.
With this, the Congress has made it clear that the state party chief Capt Amarinder was all in all and anyone who created indiscipline by opposing had no place in the party. It has also indicated that the party would deal strictly with the rebels.
Brar, known as Capt Amarinder's ardent critic, minced no words to criticise the state party chief’s style of working while showering praises on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its national convener Arvind Kejriwal.
His expulsion came after he dared Capt Amarinder to oust him from the party following Bir Devinder’s suspension. Besides, a series of tweets by him against the party has also worked against him. The decision to expel Brar, the former Congress Working Committee (CWC) member, from the party’s primary membership was announced by the general secretary in-charge of state party affairs Shakeel Ahmed on Monday afternoon on his official twitter handle, soon after sending his expulsion orders via an e-mail.
Also AICC general secretary, Shakeel Ahmed tweeted “All India Congress Committee (AICC) has expelled Mr. Jagmeet Singh Brar, ex-MP, from the primary membership of the party with immediate effect.”
Brar, former MP, has been ousted for “speaking against the party leadership and policies which is not in the interest of the organisation”. Ahmed told The Pioneer that Brar paid no heed to the repeated warnings and directives by the party high command for his utterances against the party and its leaders.
“I have told him that he had not kept his word of not speaking anything on party matters in public,” said Ahmed in his e-mail to Brar. “The party has decided to take action after considering every aspect of the issue,” he said.
Many senior party leaders, including MlAs, had also approached the party high command seeking Brar’s expulsion from the party alleging that his statements were damaging the party at a crucial time when the party was gearing up to fight a battle for upcoming assembly polls.
“Brar was doing no good to the party and was just demoralising and embarrassing the party and its cadre by issuing needless and illogical statements. The party can’t afford such mindless leaders in Punjab especially when it is gearing up for assembly election next year,” a senior party leader said.
With the state assembly elections just about nine months away, the Congress is making every possible effort to revive its fortunes at the national level and winning back the state after 10 long years in the Opposition.
It is projecting Capt Amarinder as the face of the party in the state. Congress has also roped in political strategist Prashant Kishore to ‘help and assist’ the party in the elections.
Known detractor of Capt Amarinder, Brar had once been a strong contender for the post of PPCC chief.
He had turned Capt Amarinder’s harsh critic from the day he was reappointed as state party chief. He had even gone on to praise AAP’s rally at the Maghi Mela in Muktsar. In one of his tweets, he had said that AAP was leading the race in the run up to assembly elections and the Congress was at the third place in the present scenario.
He was earlier suspended for his “anti-party” remarks after the Congress’ resounding defeat in the 2014 lok Sabha election.
Brar resigned from the party in January 2015. At that time, Capt Amarinder dubbed Brar’s decision of leaving the congress party as “good riddance” while describing Brar “a classic chameleon character in politics”.
He returned to the Congress fold in August last year after party president Sonia Gandhi revoked his suspension.
‘CONDEMNED WITHOUT HEARING’
Strongly reacting to his expulsion, Brar said that he had been “condemned without hearing”, and the party would repent its decision.
“I have just received a mail of General Secretary Shakeel Ahmad expelling me from the primary membership of the party. Condemned without hearing (sic),” he tweeted.
Brar claimed that the party would “repent” its decision of expelling him.
In a series of tweets ahead of his expulsion, the rebel Congress leader had said: “High-powered Disciplinary, A K Antony committee says, if both sides or groups issue statements, it amounts to grave indiscipline. 1-1. True.”
“Press statements by some Congress leaders against me make the match 1-1 before the party leadership. Overstepping, challenge to High command,” he tweeted.
“Joint statements by Amarinder’s core opponents against me makes my case more justified. Amarinder knows they are back stabbers, opportunists,” he posted on his Twitter handle.
Brar, in another tweet, stated, “The world knows, I am a common political target of Amarinder and Sukhbir in 2017, I will struggle and win.”
Posing a challenge to Sukhbir Badal, Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president, he said: “Sukhbir Badal has called me a misguided missile knowing fully well this hit the right target in 1999 and now again in 2017. Be prepared.”
Brar, a former Faridkot MP, defeated Sukhbir in 1999. Sukhbir later won the same constituency defeating Brar in 2004.
WHAT NEXTIJ
Brar had announced to decide on his future course of action after meeting his supporters at Chhappar Chiri on May 21. On the other hand, the political analysts believed that he may join AAP.
Brar has announced that he would hold a crucial meeting at Chhappar Chiri in Mohali on May 21 to chalk out the further strategy. “After the expulsion 117 assembly constituency meet on May 21 on Budh Purnima at Chhappar Chiri near Mohali. Important address for Punjabiyat (sic),” he tweeted.
He also said, “I will show the world that Punjab has the talent on 21st May, 2016 gathering. It will be best speech of my lifetime. I assure brothers.” Before his May 21 meet, Brar has announced to cover 60 assembly seats “to bring people for the gathering at Chhappar Chiri.”
Reading between the lines of his tweets praising AAP and Kejriwal, the observers believed that he may join the emerging AAP. They believed that he may also resolve AAP’s search for its chief ministerial candidate.