‘Hunted’ by Badals, homecoming for Cong spokesperson
Monday, 27/04/2015
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
CHANDIGARH: Call it politics of compulsion. After publicly announcing his plans to join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that scripted a stunning victory in the Delhi polls, former Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira had a homecoming in the Congress “for the sake of his supporters”.
Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa, who himself is battling dissent from a majority of MLAs and not long ago had written to the party high command to expel Khaira, embraced him back into the party fold. Dismissing the latter’s overtures to AAP as a “family matter” that had been resolved, Bajwa said, “Let’s leave the AAP issue aside. Everybody has differences at home and we have resolved them. It should not overshadow the more serious issue of political vendetta unleashed by the ruling Badal regime.”
Khaira, however, said both the decisions were taken for the “sake of his supporters”.
“My assembly constituency has many NRIs and they wanted me to join AAP. But after seeing how those running it have thrown out their own founder members and continued a rally in Delhi despite suicide by a farmer, it is coming across not as an ‘aam aadmi’ party but that of dictators. I had asked my supporters and they feel I should stay with the Congress,” he said.
Khaira also expressed his gratitude to the Congress high command for their support. “The party has always supported me and I am grateful that they continue to do so,” he said.
When asked if the Congress high command had asked Khaira to stay back, Bajwa said Khaira is a spokesman of the Congress and had the blessings of the high command.
