New Delhi, December 10
The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, carried the fight to the dissident camp in the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee by showing support of 40 MLAs to the three-member AICC panel looking into the problems of its legislature party.

Considering the hectic dissident activity in the Capital with Punjab Agriculture Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal in the vangaurd, the Chief Minister himself impressed on the high command for a special meeting here today to underline the dominant support to him within the Congress legislature party in Punjab.

The CM told The Tribune here tonight that the AICC team comprising Dr Manmohan Singh, Ms Mohsina Kidwai and Mr Ahmed Patel were briefed by the Assembly Speaker, Dr Kewal Krishan.

All the 40 MLAs present also had an opportunity to express their views to the party high command. Capt Amarinder Singh said the Congress had a strength of 65 in the 117-member Punjab assembly and he had provided in writing the support of 40 MLAs. Two of them, who could not be present due to personal reasons including the Deputy Speaker and a minister, had faxed their explicit support to him.

It is unlikely that the Congress high command will effect a change in leadership in the immediate future as demanded by the dissidents who are backing Ms Bhattal in the leadership stakes. Authoritative sources in the AICC said that a change in leadership was unlikely. The issue was being viewed by the central leadership in the backdrop of a Chandigarh court’s decision today to frame charges against Ms Bhattal in an embezzlement case.

The AICC team is expected to meet Amarinder tomorrow also. The Chief Minister informed the AICC panel that he would be away in Punjab addressing a rally in Malout in keeping with the party’s programme of holding two rallies in the state every week. He would be available in the capital in the evening tomorrow.

The AICC panel, which also met most of the legislators, including dissidents, individually, is expected to impress on Capt Amarinder Singh to redress the genuine grievances of the MPs and MLAs in the state and be more accessible to a wide cross-section of people.

Sources said that the Congress central leadership has begun working on a compromise formula.

The dissident camp, claiming the support of over 30 legislators, has been camping in Delhi for the past two days to press its demand for the chief minister’s removal.