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Rahul tells Punjab Cong to behave
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 16
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today made a valiant attempt to calm dissent, which, he said, had split the party in Punjab.

During a day’s visit to the city, Rahul met party MPs, MLAs, former presidents, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) office-bearers, district and block presidents and student union leaders.

Without signaling change in the state leadership, he insisted that a divided party not only fares badly, but also loses strength to function as the main Opposition party.

Rahul’s visit seems to have stamped the authority of PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa at least for a while as the party vice-president did not let rival camp leaders raise the demand for removing Bajwa.

Leaders disappointed with Bajwa’s performance complained of not being allowed to speak. A few block presidents and MLAs accused Bajwa of stage-managing the show. “It was a monologue by Rahul. We thought he had come to hear us,” said a disgruntled block president.

Rahul said: “People want a Congress government but the party itself is its biggest enemy because the leaders are not united. The Punjab Government has failed to manage the state’s finances and control drug abuse. Police high-handedness is another problem ailing the state.”

Rahul said this in the presence of Bajwa, former CMs Capt Amarinder Singh and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Congress legislature party leader Sunil Jakhar, former PPCC presidents HS Hanspal and SS Dullo, and Punjab affairs in charge Harish Chaudhry.