Chandigarh, July 14
Punjab Congress leaders today held Pradesh Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh responsible for the party’s humiliating defeat in the Dasuya bypoll and urged the party high command to immediately intervene and set things right in the state.

The debacle by a margin of more than 47,000 votes has shocked the state leadership. The party did not expect to lose the election by such a huge margin because it was banking upon the support of the “Chang” community. Mukerian Independent MLA Rajnish Babby, who represents the community, had rejoined the Congress recently.

Moreover, the BSP did not put up a candidate giving hope to the Congress that it would be able to attract a major chunk of the Dalit vote bank. Congressmen also did not expect to lose so badly to a BJP candidate, as it regarded the saffron party a fringe player in Punjab politics.

Terming the defeat as a rejection of Capt Amarinder Singh by the ordinary Congress voter, senior leader and Amloh MLA Randeep Singh Nabha said the PCC president should forthwith take responsibility for the “humiliating” defeat.

Randeep, who is himself a candidate for the PCC presidentship, said the PCC president had announced during his “limited” campaign tour that the election result would be a referendum on the functioning of the SAD-BJP government. He said in the light of this development, Amarinder should call a meeting of the PCC immediately to dissect why the people had voted against the party.

The Amloh MLA said the PCC president campaigned for only two days in Dasuya, while the SAD-BJP leadership camped in the constituency for the entire campaigning period. He said senior leaders, including him, were not even invited for campaigning that was left to the PCC president’s “yes men”. “We have lost elections of 2007 and 2012 because of Amarinder’s attitude,” he added.

He said the present trend was an indication that the things were going to become worse for the Congress. He appealed to the centre to “boost” morale of the party worker by taking “appropriate” steps.

Legislators Parminder Singh and Gurkirat Singh Kotli appealed to the high command to organise a “chintan shivar” to examine the reasons for the party’s debacle.