Sidhu-dhillon spat mars Cong protest
CHANDIGARH : A public spat between former state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and Punjab Youth Congress president Brinder Singh Dhillon overshadowed the protest held by the Punjab Congress in Chandigarh on Thursday against rising fuel prices in the country.
The verbal spat took place when Sidhu, while addressing the party workers outside the state Congress headquarters here, targeted some party leaders for being “beimaan” (dishonest) but without naming them. Dhillon interrupted the former state Congress president, daring him to name the leaders or stop making such sweeping statements. “You are doing a drama. You should name such leaders. If you cannot name, then do not say anything,” Dhillon said.
The former state unit chief, however, refused to take any names. Both Sidhu and Dhillon kept speaking over each other. Amid slogan shouting by supporters of the two leaders, some others, including party spokesperson Rana Baljit Chahal, also joined the argument. Sidhu had to stop his speech and the dharna was wound up.
Congress MLAS Partap Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Pargat Singh, former minister
Gurkirat Singh Kotli, former speaker Rana KP Singh and former legislator Lakhvir Singh Lakha were among those attended the protest.
The high drama again brought out the deep divisions in the Punjab Congress. The dharna (sit-in) against the central government was the first state-level protest held by the party since its embarrassing defeat in the assembly polls in Punjab and four other states last month. Addressing the gathering earlier, Sidhu, who began by slamming the AAP government and CM Bhagwant Mann, pressed for promoting leaders with clean image for the revival of the party in the state. “I will be first to take a stand if any false FIR is lodged against any leader, but if money is recovered from anyone’s house, I will not stand with him,” the former PPCC chief said only to be interrupted by his party colleague.
Dhillon later put out a post on Twitter to appeal to party leaders to unite and fight for public, not for individual glorification.
Randhawa said the spat between Sidhu and Dhillon has sent a wrong message to party workers.
Channi hits out at Jakhar Former CM Charanjit Singh Channi hit out at former state unit president Sunil Jakhar for making “objectionable” remarks against the poor. “Jakhar belongs to a big family. His statement shows his mentality that he was against the poor. It deserves to be condemned,” Channi said after meeting former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.
Jakhar , however, said that his comments were being distorted.