Mahila Congress workers protest outside AICC office in New Delhi

Wednesday, 15/10/2014

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=116692&boxid=59201&uid=&dat=2014-10-15

Jalandhar : It seems that the ongoing row of appointment of Punjab Pradesh Mahila Congress (PPMC) president is nowhere coming to an end, as women workers on Tuesday reached All India Congress Committee (AICC), New Delhi and staged a protest against the party high command’s decision.

Mahila Congress workers not only held a protest against Punjab Mahila congress president Kittu Grewal but also raised slogans against All India Mahila Congress national president Shobha Ozha and general secretary Netta D’souza for appointing a rebel candidate on a top position.

The Mahila Congress workers from across Punjab sought reply from the All India Mahila Congress leaders for ignoring the fact that Grewal had contested the 2012 Assembly Election from Adampur seat in Jalandhar as a rebel candidate against the official Congress candidate Satnam Kainth.

Vice President of the Punjab Mahila Congress Harsimranjit Kaur also handed over a letter to AICC leaders written by Satnam Kainth highlighting that Kittu Grewal remained in poll fray till the day of polling. Kittu had polled 429 votes as an independent candidate.

“It is surprising that a rebel candidate who blamed the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi for being corrupt and selling tickets to favourites was appointed as the president of Punjab Mahila Congress. Kittu was not even a primary member of the Congress, how could she was given the top post much to the annoyance of all the workers?,” she questioned.

She also maintained that though Kittu was claiming that she joined the Congress in the presence of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa but the fact was that neither Bajwa nor former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh took her back in the party.

“Kittu was not even a primary member of the Congress. As she was a rebel candidate in Adampur seat, she should have remain expelled for six years according to party rules,” she added.

However talking to Daily Post, Kittu said, “I am getting full support from the Punjab Mahila Congress workers. In fact, two days ago, I also held a meeting of all the district mahila Congress presidents. If a few women from Jalandhar and Ludhiana were protesting against my appointment, it does not mean that the entire leadership was against me.”

Kittu also said that she was being targeted owing to her Dalit background. “After all, no general category leader would love to work under the leadership of a Dalit,” she said.

Recently, Kittu Grewal had held a press conference in Jalandhar and produced her official appointment letter issued by Mahila Congress National president Shobha Oza and AICC general secretary Janardan Diwedi. Kittu had also maintained that she was appointed on the recommendations of the chairman of SC/ST Department of AICC K Raju.