Chandigarh, February 25
The hunt is on for a new chief of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee as the incumbent, Capt Amarinder Singh, is certain to be elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) here tomorrow. The search is also on for a suitable and senior party leader to fill the slot of Speaker.
The names of Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Dr Kewal Krishan were being mentioned for the post of PPCC chief and the Speaker, respectively, indicating that the new Council of Ministers would be initially “compact and representative”.
Today, when the newly elected legislators of Congress met at Punjab Bhavan, the mood was upbeat. Most MLAs and those party candidates who lost the election turned up for the luncheon meeting to clearly indicate their preference for the PPCC to be their next CLP leader.
“Since we follow the principle of one man, one post,” said Capt Amarinder Singh,” probably indicating that the party high command would handle the leadership issue in a manner to dispel any impression of dissension.
Though some of the senior party leaders from the Centre, including Mr Raghunandan Lal Bhatia and Mrs Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder, besides Mrs Parneet Kaur, MP, were present at the meeting, central observers are expected here tomorrow for the CLP leaders’ election.
“Wednesday, the birth anniversary of Guru Ravi Das, is an auspicious day for the new Chief Minister to take the oath,” opined Capt Amarinder Singh, parrying all questions about the probable choice of the next Chief Minister.
But his remarks indicated that after his election tomorrow, the PPCC will have a new chief.
The new CLP has some stalwarts, besides Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, including Dr Kewal Krishan, Ch Jagjit Singh, Mr Harnam Dass Johar, Mr Kushal Behl, Mr Surinder Singla, Mr Jagmohan Singh Kang, Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, Mr Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Mr Darbari Lal, Mr Mohinder Singh KP, Mr Ramesh Chander Dogra, Mr Raghunath Sahay Puri, Mr Lall Singh, Mr Bir Devinder Singh, Mr Joginder Singh Mann, Mr Mohinder Kumar Rinwa, Mr Gurbinder Singh Atwal, Mr Rakesh Pandey and Mr Avtar Henry.
Besides the PPCC chief, the other option of accommodating one of the senior leaders would be the Speaker’s post.
He also avoided answering questions about the size of the new Council of Ministers and convening of the Budget session of the 12th Punjab Vidhan Sabha saying that only the CLP leader in consultation with the party legislators was authorised to take such a decision.
Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, also a contender for the CLP leadership, was guarded in her statement at the luncheon meeting saying that it would be the “party high command which in consultation with the legislators, would decide the CLP leader” maintaining that after remaining the Chief Minister it would not behove her to accept anything less.
“But I would respect the party high command’s decision,” she said maintaining that she had not applied her mind about anything else, including Speakership, but went on to add that she would not disclose what had transpired at her recent meeting with party supremo Sonia Gandhi.
Mrs Bhattal joined the PPCC chief in greeting the newly elected party legislators and posing for photographs. She also looked relaxed and in a cheerful mood taking digs at Akalis from time to time.
Conspicuous by their absence were Mr Jagmeet Singh Brar and also another former Chief Minister, Mr Harcharan Singh Brar, from the meeting.
