Warring Cong factions huddle up

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 6

In a major political development, different warring factions within the Punjab Congress, including Navjot Singh Sidhu, have finally “regrouped” themselves to pressure the Congress government to fulfil its poll promises of punishing the perpetrators of the sacrilege and subsequent police firing cases of Kotkapura, besides eliminating the transport and drug mining mafia.

Series of meetings

Meetings of party leaders, including former Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa, Technical Education Minister Charanjit Channi, and some MLAs were held over past two days

Want poll promises fulfilled

The issue is not to target anyone but to prevail upon government to act fast on the promise and break narrative of ‘friendly match’ with Akalis. — Congress MLA

Apparently learning from the past experiences, the leaders are learnt to have agreed among themselves not to precipitate any leadership crisis or fight for positions or ministerial berth and instead work to consolidate party’s position in run up to the 2022 Assembly elections by getting all

poll promises fulfilled.

To give shape to its agenda, meetings of the regrouped party leaders was attended by former Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa, Technical Education Minister Charanjit Channi, and MLAs Fateh Jung Bajwa, Pargat Singh, Kushaldeep Dhillon, Balwinder Laddi and Barindermeet Singh Pahra over the past two days.

One such meeting took place yesterday at a private residence in Panchkula. Denying attending any such meeting, Dhillon said: “If anyone interested in solving the sacrilege and police firing cases calls me, I will go. For me, the respect of the holy book is above all.” Other leaders did not

take calls for comment.

Sources said ahead of the meeting, Channi went to Patiala to meet Sidhu before the latter met Randhawa. Sidhu is learnt to have told the party leaders he was committed to the Gandhi family and would not leave the party at any cost, as was being reported for the past few days.

The development created upheaval both in political circles and official circles. It is learnt the Chief Minister’s Office was also aware about the development.

An MLA said the issue was not to target anyone but to prevail upon the government to act fast on the promise and break the narrative of “friendly match” with Akalis.