Buzz of alliance with AAP leaves Punjab Congress leaders miffed

Buzz of alliance with AAP leaves Punjab Congress leaders miffed
Chandigarh: The Opposition’s unity efforts with the formation of the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) has put the Punjab Congress leadership in a catch-22 situation.

With the Congress alleging political vendetta unleashed by the AAP government through the Vigilance Bureau against its leaders in Punjab, buzz in party circles of a likely alliance between the two parties has left the leadership miffed with the high command.

“We understand the central leadership move to oppose the BJP’s ordinance on central services rules, but anything beyond will not be acceptable to us, “said a senior PPCC leader.

From day one, I am not in favour of the alliance. I have conveyed it to Sonia Gandhi and AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge. I will take it up with Rahul Gandhi too. —Partap Singh Bajwa, LOP

Denying the reports of an alliance between the two parties, he said, “The party high command has rather asked us to prepare for all 13 Lok Sabha seats. It is speculative information being spread by the BJP that is unnerved over the developments at the national level.”

He said, “The high command will ask the state units, if it happens. It is not in Punjab alone, the Congress principal opponents in other states are part of INDIA. That does not mean that there will be an alliance in the run-up to the 2024 poll.”

Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa maintains his old stand, “From day one, I am not in favour of the alliance. I have conveyed it to Sonia Gandhi and AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge. I will take it up with Rahul Gandhi too.”

At the internal party meeting held over the past two days here, a number of leaders were of the opinion that their role as the principal opposition party would come to an end with this alliance.

“Not just our cadres but also our leaders will start moving out. We shall not be able to attack the ruling party, which has been our main agenda,” said most MLAs and ex-MLAs, who attended the meeting.

Even Sukhpal Khaira, ex-LoP and MLA, Bholath, who has been daily taking to Twitter or Facebook to target the AAP leadership, especially CM Bhagwant Mann, is upset at the move.

Karamjit Kaur, wife of deceased Congress MP from Jalandhar Chaudhary Santokh Singh, who recently lost to Sushil Rinku, said, “I am sure that the party leadership understands the sentiment at the ground level. I do not think there will be any seat sharing.”

Even the MPs are not comfortable discussing the issue. Anandpur Sahib Congress MP Manish Tewari said, “There still are eight months for the Lok Sabha poll. It could be too early to speculate on the issue now”.