Jalandhar, June 11
The fact-finding Congress team led by the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Dr Manmohan Singh, and accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, had to face the ire of the Dalits during their first visit to the violence-hit Talhan village, when they greeted the team members with black flags and raised anti-Congress slogans to register their protest against the alleged failure of the state government and the district administration to avert Dalit-Jat clashes and subsequent killing of a Dalit in police firing at Buta Mandi on June 5.

The Congress team comprising Dr Manmohan Singh, AICC General Secretary Ambika Soni, Ms Krishna Tirath, Capt Amarinder Singh and several ministers kept the villagers waiting as they reached Talhan village three hours behind schedule.

As soon as the long cavalcade of the Punjab Chief Minister entered the village, most of the Dalits, who were standing on the roofs of their houses as curfew was still in force, waived black flags and shouted slogans. They alleged that the visit of the Congress team was nothing, but an attempt to dilute the original issue of the call given by the Jats to boycott Dalits, who were demanding due representation in the managing committee of gurdwara Baba Nihal Singh.

The team reached Gurdwara Baba Nihal Singh and all its members paid obeisance there before moving towards Baba Fateh Shah Samadh on the outskirts of the village to hold a meeting with representatives of both communities and the village panchayat. The meeting lasted for about two hours. Mediapersons were not allowed to move towards the meeting venue despite issuance of curfew passes by the district administration.

Later, talking to reporters at the high security PAP complex, Ms Ambika Soni admitted that the situation in the village was still tense and efforts were being made to restore peace in the village.

“Congress President Sonia Gandhi has constituted a high-level fact-finding team to assess the situation. “After talking to both communities, we think the situation is still tense in village” Ms Soni said, adding that Ms Sonia Gandhi had shown deep concern over the outbreak of recent violence between the two communities. “We will submit our report to the AICC chief in the evening,” she added.

Asked whether there would be any impact on the party’s prospects in the Assembly elections of some of the states, Mr Soni ruled this out saying caste clash was not a political issue.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Umrao Singh revealed that he had faxed a letter to Mr Sonia Gandhi about the adverse impact of the Talhan issue on the party.

Mr Manmohan Singh, said after meeting both communities, it was clear that they were in favour of resolving the issue amicably at the earliest.

Unlike Capt Amarinder Singh, Dr Manmohan Singh did not blame any political party for the recent clashes.