Rift between minister, MLA comes to fore

Deepkamal Kaur/Sanjiv Bakshi
Tribune News Service
Hoshiarpur, March 4

Internal bickering between two Congress leaders — local MLA and Industries and Commerce Minister Sundar Sham Arora and Chabbewal MLA Raj Kumar Chabbewal — became apparent during an event organised to lay foundation stone of development projects by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh here on Monday.

Arora interrupted his address for four times and sought the attention of the Chief Minister towards his speech. The Chief Minister, who was also on the stage at that time, was engaged in a discussion with Chabbewal, who occupied Arora’s seat to show Capt Amarinder some documents related to demand of the residents of his area.

Arora and Chabbewal have reportedly not been on good terms ever since the latter claimed the party ticket from Hoshiarpur for the Lok Sabha elections.

Chabbewal’s supporters on Monday said that minister Arora perhaps was thinking that the MLA was speaking to the Chief Minister about his claim to the Lok Sabha ticket and hence, he kept on disturbing him and the Chief Minister during their conversation.

Arora’s supporters, on the other hand, said Chabbewal deliberately sought Chief Minister’s attention when the minister was talking about more development projects which he wants for his constituency.

While giving his speech, Arora stopped and said, “Dr Raj, first let me complete my speech and then you can talk.” Even after that, the Chief Minster and the MLA kept on discussing their issue. Arora stopped twice asking MLA Chabbewal to let him finish his point. Finally, Chabbewal moved to his previous chair on the extreme left of the row.

Prior to this, the Chief Minister was engaged in a conversation with former Garhshankar MLA Love Kumar Goldy, who sat back after Arora asked him to be silent during his speech.

Food street on pattern of the one in Lahore

The foundation stones of a multipurpose indoor hall, a food street, a new library, RoB on the Jalandhar Cantonment-Hoshiarpur railway line, a girls’ hostel, a community centre and a cancer hospital were laid on Monday.

The Chief Minister also announced the sub-tehsil status for Sham Chaurasi. He also announced his government’s plans to form a policy to develop an industrial belt from Pathankot to Chandigarh. The Chief Minister said a new state-of-the-art library was being built at a cost of Rs2.42 crore at Government College, Hoshiarpur. The college was also getting a girls’ hostel for Rs4.19 crore, he added.

The Chief Minister said a food street near Lajwanti Sports Complex would be built at a cost of Rs5.12 crore on the pattern of the one in Lahore.

Sidelights

• Congress leaders, including MLAs, ex-MLAs and ex-MPs, kept on changing their seats to get a chance to sit along with the Chief Minister to take up their issues with him. 
• Though the Lok Sabha polls are around, Cabinet minister and Hoshiarpur MLA Sunder Sham Arora made the event look his personal show. Though six Congress MLAs have been elected from the district this time, all posters had only his picture with the Chief Minister.
• MLAs from neighbouring Assembly segments said Arora asked them not to bring people of their areas as it was a show only for his area. 
• As the Chief Minister reached the stage, a singer, who had been invited to regale the audience, sang, “Baharo phool barsao, mera mehboob aaya hai.” Thereafter, the stage anchors stopped her.
• Capt Amarinder Singh started his speech by offering Shivaratri greetings to the gathering.
• Stones of seven development projects were laid digitally by using a remote and a screen on the site.