Rahul to discuss poll strategy with Congress leaders today

Saturday, 16/04/2016

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Chandigarh : Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will meet party workers and leaders in Punjab on Saturday and will discuss issues related to Assembly polls next year and the party’s preparedness.

The meeting, organised by poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s organisation Indian Political Action Committee, assumes significance as the state Congress, which faced ‘factionalism’, wants to “put up a united face” to take on SAD-BJP alliance and emerging AAP in the polls.

Senior Congress leaders Jagmeet Brar and Bir Davinder Singh were suspended for their outbursts against party leaders, especially Amarinder Singh. Rahul will reach Zirakpur around 11:30 am on Saturday and will hold a meeting with party workers and leaders. He will stay there till 4 pm, sources said.

Almost 2,000-2,500 party members including sitting MLAs, MPs, ex-MLAs, block presidents, and other office bearers will attend the meeting, they said. Congress faced defeat in 2007 and 2012 Punjab Assembly polls and aims to wrest power in 2017. On April 9, Rahul held a meeting, to discuss political and organisational challenges in Punjab, with Congress leaders, including in-charge of party affairs in Punjab Shakeel Ahmad, state unit chief Amarinder Singh, Ambika Soni, CLP leader Charanjit Singh Channi, AICC Secretary Harish Choudhry and Prashant Kishor. Prashant Kishor, who played a key role in victories of Narendra Modi-led BJP in the general elections and JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance in Bihar, will help Congress in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, where elections are scheduled for next year.

Capt Amarinder is ‘Saada Captain’, says Bhattal

Jalandhar : Presenting a united face with her ‘arch rival’, senior Congress leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal termed Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Capt Amarinder Singh as ‘Saada Captain’ and said that he should be declared the chief ministerial candidate of the party.

Bhattal went a step ahead in her adulation and said that Capt Amarinder was not just the ‘Captain’ (PPCC chief) of the state Congress but that of the entire party rank and file. “Capt Amarinder is an experienced leader and one of the best successful CM of Punjab till date. It is high time that the Congress high command declared him as the CM candidate in assembly elections 2017”, she said.

On the visit of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to Mohali Bhattal said that the meeting was focused on providing a common platform to the party workers, where they would share views and about state congress with him.