The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sunday, June 24, 2001, Chandigarh, India

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PPCC office-bearers announced
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 23
The Congress high command formally announced the office bearers of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) here today after reconciling the views of all sections.

There was intense lobbying by various factions in the PPCC over the last two days to accommodate their candidates. Congress treasurer Motilal Vora, who is also the in charge of Punjab, got the anxiously awaited list approved by party President Sonia Gandhi late last night before she left on a week long trip to Iceland and the USA.

Clearly, the AICC wants the PPCC under the stewardship of Capt Amarinder Singh to end intra-party squabbles and work in a cohesive and purposeful manner for regaining power in Punjab. The Assembly elections in Punjab are barely eight months away.

The PPCC will have 10 vice-presidents, 13 general secretaries, 24 secretaries and an executive committee of 30 members. All former Congress Chief Ministers of Punjab, serving MPs, former PCC presidents, former MPs and heads of frontal organisations will be special invitees.

The Congress high command has also put in place a 12-member coordination committee with Mr Vora in the chair. The first meeting of the coordination committee pertaining to Punjab will be held here on June 26. The other members of the coordination committee are Capt Amarinder Singh, Ambika Soni, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Jagmeet Brar, Jagjit Singh, H. S. Hanspal, Surinder Singla, Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder, R.L. Bhatia and Shamsher Singh Dullo.

“We welcome the balanced list of PPCC office-bearers announced by Mr Vora,” Mr H.S. Hanspal and Mr Surinder Singla said this evening. They had no doubt that with all senior Congress leaders in the PPCC team, the party would not be found wanting in dealing a crushing blow to the Badal government in Punjab in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

A five-member disciplinary action committee headed by Mr H.S. Hanspal has been constituted along with the district Congress committees. No less than 51 partymen will be coopted to the PPCC. Following is the list of office bearers of the PPCC:

Vice Presidents — Dr Kewal Krishan, Lal Singh, Avtar Singh Henry (MLA), Tej Prakash Singh (MLA), Gurchet Singh Bhullar, Sardool Singh, Ramesh Dogra (MLA), Choudhary Gurmail Singh, Pratap Singh Bajwa and Brij Lal Goyal.

Treasurer — Arvind Khanna.

General Secretaries — Ishar Singh, Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, Darshan Singh Brar, Jagmohan Singh Kang, Upinder Sharma, Malti Thapar, Bir Devender Singh, Lakhvinder Kaur Garcha, Raj Kumar, Gurbinder Singh Atwal, Surinder Kapoor, Abdul Gaffar and Vijay Saathi.

Secretaries — Charan Singh, Surinder Pal Singh Sibia, Maj Rajbir Singh, Bhupesh Sharma, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Tirlochan Singh, Nandan Kaur Kairon, Roop Kaur, Gurkirat Singh, Tejinder Bittu, Pawan Kumar, Malkiat Singh Dakhe, Rajinder Saini, Rakesh Pandey, Ajaib Singh, Dharampal Sabarwal, Manjit Singh Jhalbuti, Kulbir Singh Sidhu, Avtar Singh Sidhu, Rampal Dhaipi, Basant Singh, Baburam Chawla, Ramesh Goyal and Rajbir Singh.

Executive Committee — Khushal Behal, Jasjit Singh Randhawa, Jasbir Singh, Kamaljit Singh Lally (MLA), Darbari Lal, Naresh Thakur (former Deputy Speaker), Joginder Singh Mann, Ratna, Shamsher Singh Rai, Bhagat Singh, Jagtar Singh Multani, Surjeet Kaur Kalkat, Mushtaq Massih, Brij Mohan Puri, Master Jagir Singh, Chand Kaur, Jasbir Kaur Moga, Surinder Gujral, Barjinder Kaur, Harbans Kaur, Razia Sultan, Rajbir Singh, Raminder Singh Bolaria, Veena Sobti, Malkiat Singh Birmi, Rajnish Guddu, Anil Dutta, Sant Singh Brar, Anup Singh (former DCC president) and Manjit Singh Ghasitpur.

Coopted to PPCC — Babli Brar, Ch Majinder Singh, Jasbir Kaur Moga, Prem Gupta (Gurdaspur), Kushal Sharma, Barjinder Kaur (Ludhiana), Bhupinder Kaur Gill (Morinda), Vinay Kumar Rajpura, Praveen Begum, Chand Kaur, Mushtaq Masih, Pushpinder Kaur (Ludhiana), Nand Kumar, Balbir Raja, Pritam Kaur Pahwa, Jagrup Singh Gill, Basant Singh (ex-MLA), Shamsher Singh Rai (former MLA), Satwant Singh Mohi (former MLA), Rajpal Singh Mohali, Surinder Kaur Baliyan, Nirmal Batiyan, Jasmail Singh Natha (former MLA), Hamir Singh Ghagga (former deputy minister), Rajender Chakiara (former MLA), Balwinder Singh (councillor, Ludhiana), Charanjit Singh, Kamal Bakshi, Rawail Singh (Patiala -freedom fighter), Gurbachan Singh, R.P. Singh, Jamil-ur-Rehman (Malerkotla), Tehal Singh (Bathinda), Sikander Singh, Krishna Mittu, M M Cheema, Ram Singh, Virender Rana, Sukhjinder Raj Majitha, Rajinder Jaura, Sant Singh Brar, Malkiat Singh Jhalbuti, Surinder Kapoor, Anil Dutta, Gurmail Singh Cheema, Veena Sobti, Sushil Mahajan, Ram Sarup Baghi, Ramesh Goyal, Paramjit Singh and Varinder Kaur Ghuman.

Disciplinary Action Committee — H.S. Hanspal, H.S. Jassi, Pandit Som Dutt, Gurnam Singh Abulkhurana and Nahar Singh Gill. In respect of Punjab DCCs, the person to oversee the Gurdaspur district of the Congress is yet to be finalised and will be announced later. Those heading the other 20 districts are — Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria (Amritsar -rural), Jugal Kishore (Amritsar - urban), Amarjit Singh Samra (MLA - Jalandhar rural), Mohinder Singh (Jalandhar urban), Gurdev Singh Lapra (Ludhiana rural), Surinder Dawar (Ludhiana urban), Sajjan Kumar Jakhar (Ferozepore), Maheshinder Singh Nihalsinghwale (Moga), Surinder Iqbal Singh (Faridkot), Raghbir Singh (Muktsar), Hardyal Singh Kamboj (Patiala rural), Ved Prakash Gupta (Patiala urban), G.S. Dirba (MLA - Sangrur), Sikandar Singh (Fatehgarh Sahib), Harminder Singh Jassi (MLA -Bathinda), Karkar Singh Sheikhon (Nawanshahr), Sher Singh Gogowal (Mansa), Ram Rattan (Hoshiarpur), Harminder Singh Saini (Ropar) and Gulzar Singh (Kapurthala).

Amarinder happy with appointments
Tribune News Service

Captain Amrinder Singh being greeted by party workers in Chandigarh after he was retained as PPCC president by the Congress high command on Saturday.
— PTI photo

Chandigarh, June 23
Offering comments on the constitution of the state is executive body of the Congress today, President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Capt Amarinder Singh, said here that he was more than happy as the party high command had made a lot of efforts to do justice to all concerned in the state unit.

The list of office-bearers, executive committee members, district presidents, etc, of the PPCC was approved this morning by AICC President, Sonia Gandhi. It was released to press in Delhi and here this afternoon.

On return from Delhi, speaking to reporters in his office here, Capt Amarinder Singh, said that while constituting the state executive body, the party high command had kept the large interest of the state unit in mind. All concerned have been given their due and now there was complete unity in the state party unit. He said that the party was prepared fully to enter the election arena with renewed vigour as the work to constitute the PPCC was over.

For the past several months, the list submitted by the Capt Amarinder Singh for constituting the state body was lying with the party high command for approval. There was a lot of pressure to clear the same. When the in charge of the party affairs in Punjab, Mr Moti Lal Vora, visited here last week, he had announced to approve the list within a week.

Meanwhile, Capt Amarinder Singh has appointed 13 chairpersons of the different cells set up to streamline the functioning of the PPCC with immediate effect. Mr Jasbir Singh has been made chairman of the Backward classes cell, Mr Mohinder Singh Kalyan has been made chairperson of the Scheduled Castes cell.

Col (retd) Zorawar Singh is to head the Exservicemen’s cell, Mr R.R. Bhardwaj, has been retained as head of Economic and Planning cell, Mr Prem Gupta of Employees and Teachers Cell, Mr Naresh Thakur of Intellectual cell, Mr Santokh Singh of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Cell, Mr Jagir Singh of Kisan Cell and Mr Dilber Mohd Khan of Minorities Cell. Mr Jai Kishan Saini, Urban Development cell, Mr Ramesh Singla of Traders and Small Scale Industries cell, Rana Gurjit Singh of Industries Cell and Mr K.K. Bawa of Labour and Employment Cell.