Congress infighting intensifies ahead of Navjot Singh Sidhu’s rally

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Bathinda, January 6

Infighting in the Congress has intensified ahead of Navjot Singh Sidhu’s rally at Kotshamir on Sunday as a section of leaders today claimed the function was not a party event.

The rally is being organised by Harvinder Singh Laddi, who contested the Vidhan Sabha election on a Congress ticket from the Bathinda Rural segment.

Senior vice-president of the District Congress Committee, Bathinda Rural, Kirandeep Kaur Virk; general secretary Baldev Singh and many panches and sarpanches today held a press conference at Congress Bhawan, demanding action from the party high command over the rally.

They said Sidhu was a senior leader, but he should not take anti-party actions by holding separate rallies in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. “Workers and the party will suffer due to this and the party high command also needs to pay attention to it,” a party leader said. He said when Sidhu was the president of the party, he was fully supported by the entire leadership and workers.

Making serious charges against Laddi, they said because of his lack of involvement during Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, his primary membership was cancelled on July 24, 2023, by the Congress, so he had no connection with the party.

They urged the party high command to take action against leaders involved in such activities.

A day earlier, a number of sarpanches and panches of Bathinda had come out in support of Sidhu. They had written a letter to the Punjab affairs in-charge questioning the credentials of Khushbaaz Singh Jattana, Bathinda Rural Congress chief.

Earlier, Jattana had warned leaders against attending the January 7 rally. He had said that Laddi, who is organising the event, had nothing to do with the Congress.