Cong chief open to alliance with like-minded parties
Tuesday, 16/02/2016
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/politics/cong-chief-open-to-alliance-with-like-minded-parties/196908.html
Ludhiana : Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Capt Amarinder Singh today said he was in favour of alliance between like-minded secular parties such as the CPI, CPM and the BSP.
Fighting the Assembly elections in alliance with these parties will check division of votes, he added.
After inaugurating the SC conclave of the Congress, organised as part of the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Capt said winnability would be the sole criterion while choosing candidates for the Assembly elections.
He said right people from all political parties were always welcome in the Congress. He did not rule out the possibility of more leaders from other political parties joining the Congress, but refused to divulge any name.
Asked whether the party can shuffle candidates in the next Assembly elections, the PPCC president said every constituency and every candidate would be thoroughly assessed before the final nomination.
On stir by students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, he said it was quite unfortunate. However, he added, “The Constitution grants freedom of expression to everyone and it must not be muzzled at any cost.”
He said it was immaterial to the Congress whether the Akalis and BJP contested together or separately.
He said similarly the Aam Aadmi Party was no challenge to the Congress as the party was only creating a false hype.
While the meet was attended by senior Congress leaders and representatives of the Dalit community from each of 117 Assembly segments in the state, senior vice-president of PPCC Lal Singh, former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and former member of Congress Working Committee Jagmeet Singh Brar were conspicuous by their absence.
