Punjab Congress on Tuesday expelled ludhiana’s former district president and Amritsar MP Capt Amarinder Singh loyalist Pawan Dewan from the primary membership of the party for their alleged anti-party activities. Besides Dewan, five others including four block presidents in ludhiana districts, who protested against the PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa during his recent tour to the district, have also been shown the door.
The decision — “rejected” by Dewan — was taken by the party’s State Disciplinary Action Committee during its meeting held at Monday evening under the chairmanship of former legislator and senior advocate Gopal Krishan Chatrath and attended by former MlA Gurkanwal Kaur and former Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly Jaswant Singh Phapharke.
Remaining two members of the DAC — former MlA Bhag Singh and Punjab Youth Congress’s former president Rana Varinder Singh — were not present during the meeting.
Dewan argued, “The Disciplinary Action Committee is not authorised to expel an elected member of the PCC and an elected district president… I reject this decision.”
Among the block presidents facing expulsion include Atma Nagar-I block chief Palwinder Singh Taggar, ludhiana West-I block president Baljinder Singh, ludhiana West-11 block president Satwinder Jawaddi, and Vinod Bhatla. A local Congress leader Gursimran Singh Mand has also been expelled.
As per the official party release, Chatrath said that these leaders had leveled “wild and unsubstantiated against the party president and senior Congress leadership looking after the State affairs”.