Congress stands divided in Muktsar ahead of rural polls

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 11

The Congress leadership in the Muktsar constituency is divided in the panchayat elections, scheduled to be held on December 30.

The rift between PPCC general secretary Jagjit Singh Honey Fattanwala and former MLA Karan Kaur Brar today came out in open on reservation of villages.

Honey, who is a cousin of Finance Minister Manpreet Badal, today accused Karan Kaur, daughter-in-law of former CM Harcharan Singh Brar, of meddling into the affairs of the district election authorities and declaring some villages reserved, where he has a “stronghold”.

Honey said, “A number of villages have been declared reserved just because of the pressure of Karan Kaur. Before finalising the reservation list, she neither consulted me nor any other senior leader of the area. I will field my own candidates in such villages, which have been declared reserved. I have even met the Deputy Commissioner, who showed his helplessness.”

He added, “I won’t oppose the Congress candidates in all villages, but where I have my stronghold, I will field my own candidates. Earlier, during the panchayat samiti and zila parishad polls, Karan had fielded her own candidates without consulting me and later left some seats for my supporters when the senior party leadership intervened. This time I won’t tolerate it and talk to the party high-ups as well.”

On the other hand, Karan Kaur said, “Who am I to declare the reservation? Even a number of my supporters are upset with the reservation criteria, but what can I do? This is the prerogative of the election authorities. The allegations being levelled by Honey are false. He should remain in discipline.”

Honey asked Karan Kaur to take a pledge in the gurdwara if she had not finalised the reservation list.

In June this year, the duo had lodged two parallel protests against the Centre for rise in fuel prices. Later, Karan Kaur had joined Honey at his protest site.

Even in December 2017, just before the state polls, Honey had opposed the candidature of Karan Kaur. However, he later agreed to support her on the intervention of senior leaders. 

Mazdoor Morcha to oppose Cong candidates

• Sangrur: Members of the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha (MMM), Punjab, on Tuesday announced to oppose Congress-supported candidates in the forthcoming panchayat elections. They alleged that the Congress government had failed to fulfil the promises it made before the elections. 
• “The Congress government had made big promises such as debt waiver to farmers and special welfare schemes for poor and Dalit labourers. However, after the formation of the government, they have forgotten all promises. We have decided to launch a special campaign against Congress-supported candidates in the panchayat elections,” said Gobind Singh Chhajli, Punjab vice-president of MMM, after a meeting at Chhajli village. 
• They alleged that their repeated requests for complete debt waiver of labourers and small farmers had fallen on deaf ears. TNS