Team News Riveting
Chandigarh, January 27
Five Congress Members of Parliament (MPs) in Punjab today boycotted Rahul Gandhi’s virtual rally in Jalandhar in an open rebellion to his leadership ahead of assembly polls in the state.
The MPs include ex-Union Minister Manish Tiwari, Congress’ Lok Sabha chief whip Ravneet Bittu, Jasbeer Dimpa, Mohammad Siddiqui and Punjab Lok Congress leader Amarinder Singh’s wife Preneet Kaur. Sources said that they were likely to convene a press conference in either Punjab or the national capital very soon that would reveal their next move.
After his arrival in Amritsar earlier in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with party candidates for the Punjab assembly polls paid obeisance at the Golden Temple here on Thursday. The 109 Congress candidates for the Punjab elections accompanied him to the Temple where they had Langar and prayed for the bright future of the state. The former Congress President also visited the Durgiana Mandir and the Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal later.
SAD-turned-BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa told a news channel, “Revolt in Congress is natural. I feel that there are two reasons for this. Today, Rahul Gandhi is going to Darbar Sahib. But his own family had attacked Darbar Sahib with tanks. Everyone knows that Rahul Gandhi has gone there for the sake of politics.”
In the 2017 Punjab Assembly election, Congress has bagged 77 seats in the 117-member House. Despite a massive mandate, Congress failed to keep its house in order and infighting flared up in the Congress camp ahead of state polls. Congress State President Navjot Sidhu launched a direct attack on then Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, propelled the latter to quit from the Chief Ministership and later from the Congress. The new Chief Minister, Charanjit Singh Channi also faced tough challenges from Sidhu.
Punjab will go to the polls on February 20 whereas the counting of votes shall take place on March 10.
