Rift between Pargat Singh, Rana Gurjeet to the fore after Charanjit Channi’s b’day event

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, April 4

The recent birthday party of ex-Chief Minister Charanjit Channi has caused flutters in the Congress circles.

Both eyeing Anandpur Sahib seat

• Rana Gurjeet Singh from Kapurthala and Pargat Singh from Jalandhar Cantt are claimants to the Anandpur Sahib seat
• In a video, Rana and Channi were seen supporting each other from the segments they desire to contest
• Channi’s Chamkaur Sahib Assembly seat falls in the Anandpur Sahib parliamentary seat

While it made Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary to revolt against Channi for cutting a cake with ‘Jalandhar’ (the constituency from where both are contenders) mentioned on it, it has also come out that the birthday event has also led to a rift between two more Doaba MLAs – Rana Gurjeet Singh from Kapurthala and Pargat Singh from Jalandhar Cantt.

Both Pargat and Rana (or his son and Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Inder Partap) are claimants for the Anandpur Sahib seat. In the video, both Rana Gurjeet Singh and Channi were seen showing support for each other from the Lok Sabha constituencies they desire to be contesting from. While Rana mentioned that he had come to take Channi to Jalandhar, Channi responded hinting that both of them would help each other. Channi’s Chamkaur Sahib Assembly seat falls in Anandpur Sahib parliamentary seat.

Rana had also taken along his aide and Shahkot MLA Hardev Laddi Sherowalia to Channi’s place at Morinda. Those in Pargat’s inner circle have said the bonhomie coming out between Rana and Channi in the viral video had fumed Pargat. Channi reportedly had also invited some sarpanches of villages from Anandpur Sahib at his place, who were introduced to Rana.

It has been Pargat and Adampur MLA Sukhwinder Kotli, who had initially mooted the proposal to make Channi contest from Jalandhar. But through the video, Rana perhaps seemed to be taking the credit for this, which Pargat did not like. Pargat and Rana, however, have said they have no issues with one another.