Pathankot, July 28
Former Agriculture Minister Sucha Singh Langah, who despite losing the last Assembly elections has been made ‘Halqa-Incharge’ of Gurdaspur Parliamentary Constituency by the SAD, managed to politically outmanoeuvre his bete-noire and former Education Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan to get his man appointed as president of the newly-formed Pathankot SAD.

Ever since Pathankot was carved out as a separate district from Gurdaspur, the district SAD was headless. Hardeep Singh Lamini was handed over a letter to this effect signed by SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal by Langah at an impressive function held at the government owned Panchayat Bhavan today. Lamini is seen as Langah’s man Friday in Pathankot and his appointment has come after some deft handling of the situation by the former Agriculture Minister.

Even as Langah was holding the function, senior Congress leaders cried foul at the decision of the district administration to let Langah, a defeated legislator, hold the meeting to felicitate Lamini at the Panchayat Bhawan.

Gurdaspur District Congress Committee president and Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Randhawa, who had beaten Langah in the assembly elections, said since Langah did not enjoy any official position he could not hold the function at a government owned building.

Sources disclosed that Lamini, who has also remained the general secretary of the Gurdaspur District SAD, is seen as a man who will rejuvenate the party’s fortunes in Pathankot where the SAD, at present, has a negligible following. In Pathankot town itself the party has virtually no following and this is reflected from the fact that in the Municipal Committee, which has now been upgraded to a Corporation, there are 33 councillors out of which 20 belong to the Congress, 11 to the BJP while two are Independents.

Sekhwan was trying to push through the candidature of his blue eyed man-Sewa Singh, but Langah managed to nip this move in the bud by pulling the strings in Chandigarh to ensure his man was appointed as the first ever president of Pathankot SAD.

Political observers say the SAD had fallen into a trap by making a Sikh as the president of the local SAD because the new district is seen as a Hindu dominated area. The district has three assembly segments-Pathankot, Sujanpur and Bhoa-and all the three seats are represented by Hindu BJP legislators. “Even the Congress was careful to field Hindu candidates against the BJP in all these three seats,” said a senior Akali leader.

“The party could have done better by appointing a Hindu as the president. This move could have put the party in a better position. By making a Sikh as the presidents, the party has been put on a weak wicket. A Hindu candidate could have served the interests of the party better keeping in view the next general elections,” said a SAD functionary.

Lamini said he will be forming his team in the next few days after consultations with Sukhbir Badal and Langah.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pathankot District forms a part of Gurdaspur Parliamentary constituency.