If Sunder Sham Arora wants to rejoin Congress, who can stop him, says MP-elect Charanjit Channi

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

Hoshiarpur, June 14

After Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa met BJP leader Sunder Sham Arora three days ago, now Jalandhar MP and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi arrived to meet him at his residence around 10:30 pm here on Thursday night.

Though Congress leaders are trying to parry the query by calling it a family meeting, the arrival of senior Congress leaders one after the other at former Cabinet Minister Sunder Sham Arora’s house may well be an indication that something is in the works.

First, the absence of Sunder Sham Arora from the stage during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, then after the counting of the Lok Sabha votes, and the arrival of Bajwa at Arora’s house, gave rise to speculations. Meanwhile, Channi also reiterated Bajwa’s words while talking to mediapersons, “I was passing through Hoshiarpur, so I came to meet Arora,” said Channi.

Channi said he had been a minister during the Congress government. “I have family relations with Arora, so it should not be linked to politics,” Channi said, while adding that if a strong leader like Arora comes to the party, then who can stop him. He said Arora was an honest leader with a clean image and his joining the party would strengthen it further. Asked that a few days ago, Partap Singh Bajwa had also come to Arora’s house, Channi said it could be a coincidence.

It may also be mentioned that former Chief Minister Channi had addressed a public meeting at Arora’s residence.