New Delhi, October 7
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today said that it was not possible to work with the CPI in Punjab till Mr Joginder Dayal led the state party unit.
The Chief Minister, who was summoned to the Capital today by Mrs Mohsina Kidwai, AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab, over the inclusion of the two CPI MLAs — Mr Nathu Ram and Mr Gurjant Singh — into the Congress on October 2 without prior consultations with the party high command, explained the reasons that compelled him to take the decision.
The move has soured the relations between the CPI and the Congress and senior leaders of the CPI have complained to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the issue. The Congress and the CPI have similar perceptions on a number of national issues but the developments in Punjab could have a bearing on the mutual relations between the two parties. The Congress and the CPI had fought the last Assembly poll in the state together.
However, the Punjab Chief Minister virtually ruled out any patch up with the CPI in Punjab till Mr Dayal led the party unit. He told The Tribune here that Mr Dayal had been working against the interests of the Congress and had been “promoting communal parties like the BJP and the Akali Dal.” He said Mr Dayal had also worked against the Congress in the Sunam byelection.
“It is not possible to work with the CPI in Punjab till its leadership is changed. Mr Dayal has to go,” the Chief Minister said.
During his meeting with the party high command leaders, including Ms Ambika Soni and Mr Motilal Vora, the Chief Minister explained that the party was left with no alternative but to induct the two MLAs as the CPI leadership had been behaving “provocatively” and had called a parallel meeting on October 1 to the all-party meeting convened by the Punjab Government on the paddy issue on October 2. The meeting convened by the CPI was also attended by the Akali Dal headed by former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The Chief Minister, who was accompanied by PCC chief H.S. Hanspal, said had the two CPI MLAs not been inducted into the Congress, the Akali Dal may have approached them. Sources said that the party high command leaders told the Chief Minister that a better way of induction of the MLAs could have been found had prior consultations been held.
Asked about the issue of threat to life raised by former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Capt Amarinder Singh said Mr Badal’s security had been beefed up. He said the Punjab police had no information about the increased threat to Mr Badal and the state government was writing to the Union Home Ministry to get any information it had.
The Chief Minister said a special session of the state Assembly was being convened on October 11 to discuss the various issues related to the minimum support price and procurement of paddy.
