Amarinder waiting, Brar to kickstart campaign tomorrow
Sunday, 24/01/2016
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
CHANDIGARH: Even as the Congress is yet to announce its candidate for the Khadoor Sahib bypoll, former MP and senior party leader Jagmeet Brar on Saturday announced that he would tour the constituency for two days starting Monday “to analyse and introspect on the current situation and appraise the party high command about it”.
Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh is waiting for the party to announce the candidate before hitting the campaign trail. Brar, who had been critical of Amarinder’s style of functioning in his recent tweets and statements, however, clarified that the tour was in no way to undermine the state party president’s authority.
“It is to help him fight the bypoll in a more organised and effective manner. Rather than attacking personalities, we need to focus on five core issues--desecration of Guru Granth Sahib and control of one family over established Sikh institutes, farm crisis and rising incidence of suicide by farmers and farm labourers, drug menace in the state and direct involvement of Akali leaders and nexus of corrupt politicians, senior police officers and other individuals, state’s debt rising to Rs 1.75 lakh crore and injustice towards Dalits in Punjab as witnessed in a Dalit’s brutal murder in Abohar,” he said.
Brar said the party should try to put up a united fight against Akalis. “CM Parkash Singh Badal is a stalwart and a clever politician. He is waiting like an old lion to pounce upon us. We will be doomed if we do not focus on the bypoll,” he said.
Apprehending a criticism of his move, the leader also sounded a warning to “those who without any reason, want to put me down”. Quoting US writer Maya Angelou, he said, “You may write me down in history, with your bitter, twisted lies; you may trod me in the very dirt but still, like dust, I’ll rise.”
