Punjabi Mahasabha divided over support to parties

Tribune News Service 

Haridwar, February 11

Factionalism in the Uttaranchal Punjabi Mahsabha came to the fore here today as its members were divided over support to the Congress and BJP candidates.

Earlier in the day, a section of the Uttaranchal Punjabi Mahasabha extended support to Congress candidates from Haridwar city Brahmaswarup Brahmachari and Ranipur-BHEL Ambrish Kumar for the Assembly elections.

About 40 members of the mahasabha expressed faith in the Congress candidates and extended their support to Brahmaswarup Brahmachari and Ambrish Kumar. Members of the community also joined the Congress at the Jawaharlal Nehru Youth Centre.

Parmanand Popli, Amar Kumar, Satish Bhatia, Parmod Kumar, Shammi Katariya, Gajendra Oberoi, Paras Gulati, Vishal, Gaurav Sharma, Rajesh Khanduja, Sanjeev Arora, Aswani Khurana and Jayant alleged BJP legislator Madan Kaushik was biased against the Punjabi community.

However, within hours the pro-BJP faction of the mahasabha called an emergency meeting of office-bearers and members at a local hotel where founder convener of the mahasabha Raj Kumar Arora announced support to BJP candidate from Haridwar city Madan Kaushik.

Arora’s supporters claimed that a majority of mahasabha members were supporting Kaushik. Arora ,a former Municipal chairperson, later addressing mediapersons. said the Punjabi Mahasabha had supported the BJP in the last three Assembly elections as the party always catered to the interests the community.

“Our Mahasabha founder late Ram Moorti Veer was one of the leaders who established the BJP in Haridwar. We are following in his footsteps and ideals and hence there is no way to support any other party. Those, who mislead the mahasabha and the community, will be shown the door. We are firmly with BJP candidates from Haridwar city Madan Kaushik and Ranipur-BHEL Aadesh Chauhan,” said Arora.

Senior members of the mahasabha Jagdeesh Lal Pahwa, Avinash Ohri, Kusum Gandhi, Bharati Taneja, Prmaod Gandhi, Suresh Gulati, Anil Kumar, Ravi Dhingra, Kamani Sadana, Meenakshi Sharma, Hari Krishan Wadhwa, Jagdeesh Virmani, Pt Brahma, Ravi Pahwa, Ekta Suri, Kiran Arora, Dr Satish Virmani, Ranjana Grover, Priyanka Kwatra, Sonu Arora, Inderjeet Singh, Mayank Chahbra and Sunil Madan were present on the occasion.

Mukesh Kaushik, brother of Madan Kaushik, alleged that the Congress was using money and divisive tactics to lure Punjabi voters but with the Uttaranchal Punjabi Mahasabha had reposed faith in the BJP.