Faction-ridden Cong to make most of Baisakhi rally to woo farmers

Friday, 03/04/2015

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Stung by his bete noir Capt Amarinder Singh, PPCC chief Partap Bajwa admits Congress is wading through the toughest phase

Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda) : Punjab Congress President Partap Singh Bajwa on Thursday revealed his party’s strategy to woo the farmers of Malwa from the stage of Baisakhi conference, scheduled to be held in Talwandi Sabo on April 13.

“Motivating the farmers from Baisakhi stage, the state Congress will then take them all to participate in the Kissan rally, where AICC president Sonia Gandhi among other dignitaries of the UPA will address the assemblage on Land Acquisition Bill at Ramleela ground in Delhi on April 19,” he disclosed.

Accusing the Modi-led Union government of ignoring the farmers’ interest in the amended Land Acquisition Bill, Bajwa also slammed the ruling Akali leaders of sitting silent on the issue.

He alleged that the representative of a ‘so-called pro-farmer party’, Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal didn’t write even a single dissent note on the matter.

Divulging further strategy, Bajwa also mentioned that after Baisakhi rally in Talwandi Sabo and Kisan Rally in Delhi, the Punjab unit of the Congress would launch a “Jail Bharo Andolan” from May 1.

Claiming him to be the first person to court his address, Bajwa said that the Congress leaders of Punjab would make it a regular practice to march towards the Chief Minister residence in Chandigarh to stage demonstration outside that on daily basis.

“As we know that the authorities won’t allow us to do, we all are already prepared to court our arrests and fill all jails to their capacity. It’s all planned to build pressure on the government to take a stand for not letting the Land Acquisition Bill taking the shape of law at least in Punjab,” added PPCC president.

He also counted some other issues including the proposed move of unbundling of Food Corporation of India and non-implementation of Dr Swaminathan Commission’s report on Minimum Support Price (MSP) as the issues of protest.

On being questioned about the cancellation of Sonia Gandhi’s much publicised visit to Punjab farmers on March 31, Bajwa opted to play defensive saying, “It has not been cancelled but postponed. Madam Sonia ji will come either on April 5-6 or she may tour the aggrieved farmers on Baisakhi day.”

He, however, admitted the fact that he was not conveyed any message from AICC office far. Stumped on being questioned about the reason behind Sonia Gandhi’s failure to visit Punjab on the scheduled date, Bajwa said, “There was a forecast of bad weather in Punjab for that day, so she might have deferred the visit.”

Earlier, while addressing the party cadre, the Punjab Congress president openly said that the Congress was witnessing the toughest phase. Elaborating the point before media persons, he said, “There had never been such a poor show of the party in the country. The party has reduced to just 44 seats in Indian Parliament and it has faced a state by state defeat, which is very painful.”

Citing reasons for the debacle, Bajwa counted the charges of Corruption, anti-incumbency factor and a nationwide wave to see the change as among the major ones.

Asked about Dhuri elections, Bajwa said that the Congress was hoping to eat the vote share of the Aam Aadmi party (AAP) as after recording a lead of 30,000 from the nearest rival SAD candidate in the Lok Sabha elections 2014 from Dhuri assembly segment, the party was not contesting the by-polls.

“The votes which were polled to the AAP were in fact anti-government and this time those would convert to us as the only option,” he asserted, without minding it to be taken in a very positive way even by his own party men.

On being questioned about the open declaration of his predecessor Capt Amarinder Singh to keep himself distanced from Dhuri by-polls for not liking his (Bajwa’s) interference in the affairs, the PPCC President played guarded.

“Capt Sahib had come to accompany the candidate on nomination filing day and I am hopeful to see him again in the field to canvass for him in the days ahead,” he said.

Asked the reason for picking Sanjha Morcha activist Simar Partap Barnala, after an unsuccessful trial of fielding Manpreet Singh Badal in 2014 LS Polls from Bathinda, to contest Dhuri by-polls on the Congress symbol, Bajwa parried the query saying, “He is now ours as he is contesting on Congress symbol.”

“There are various circumstances under which such decisions are being taken but those I am unable to discuss with media. So I humbly request you people to let me go back to Dhuri for his campaign otherwise this topic can put me in trouble,” he pleaded and left the place.