Pull up Brar for tweet on byelection:Cong men

Friday, 29/01/2016

http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/

Chandigarh : The AICC is busy contemplating action against senior party leader Jagmeet Brar for his utterances against the PPCC chief over the party's decision to boycott the Khadoor Sahib byelection, terming it a "fraud" committed on people of the state and the constituency. A number of party leaders and former MLAs have demanded action against Brar.

The party high command, it is learnt, is serious to thwart any action on part of any leader or worker which could go against the interests of the party in the run up to the 2017 Assembly elections.

"I will be there in New Delhi tomorrow and see what needs to be done after going through his (Brar's) reported utterances," said AICC general secretary and party in charge of Punjab affairs Shakeel Ahmad.

After an interactive session with students at Panjab University, Amarinder too said the party should take action against Brar for his irresponsible posts on Twitter Brar, meanwhile, remained defiant and again tweeted today: "I wonder if Ambika ji, Bhattal, Lal Singh, Jakhar, Channi were consulted before Amarinder Singh unilaterally boycotted Khadoor Sahib byelections." Taking to the Tribune, Brar said he had not spoken against any party leaders, but only against the decision to boycott the byelection.

In his another tweet, Brar quipped: "Capt Amarinder, His excellency. Never criticise anybody until you have walked a mile in his shoes. My life struggle, your power."

Meanwhile, all sitting Congress legislators today supported and endorsed the party's decision to boycott the Khadoor Sahib Assembly byelection.

Apparently triggered by criticism from certain quarters within the party, the endorsement appeared to be more of a message for dissidents who openly took on the PPCC chief.

In a joint statement, they said the party was right in boycotting the byelection.

“Since the issue of desecration and killing of protesters in police firing, following which Ramanjit Singh Sikki resigned in protest, remains unresolved, there is no point in contesting the election,” the statement read.

“When the culprits remain unidentified and unpunished what moral right do you have to seek votes from here?” they asked the Akalis.

Hold snap poll:Capt
Amarinder, meanwhile, challenged Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal to dissolve the Assembly and go for a snap poll, if the Akalis were confident about their popularity in the state.

The PPCC chief also saw Akali hand in the rejection of the nomination papers of independent candidate Bhai Baldeep Singh. Terming the rejection of his papers arbitrary, he said it reflected panic and lack of confidence on part of the Akalis.

Alarmed by the surge of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), especially among the youth, the state Congress is all set to launch an interactive platform on social media. Senior Congress leaders are wary of the inclination of the youth towards AAP. To address the aspirations of the youth, the party will launch the interactive platform. An interactive session was today held with students at Law Auditorium, Panjab University.