Bajwa should look after his own constituency: Sekhri
BATALA : The ongoing tussle between former Congress minister Ashwani Sekhri and cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Bajwa took a new turn on Sunday when former three-time MLA from Batala, Sekhri, held a press conference and accused Bajwa of interfering in Batala politics.
Giving a warning to Bajwa, Sekhri said, “If he does not stop his interference, the consequences will be bad. So it will be good for him to divert his attention towards the development of his own constituency, Fatehgarh Churrian.”
On the other hand, Bajwa said, “Sekhri’s fear that I am interested to fight the next assembly elections from Batala is just a figment of his imagination. I have already made it clear that I have no interest in Batala.”
He added, “When the people of Batala approached me with their complaints, being a minister, I had to come forward for some solution.”
On the dharna by Sekhri against the municipal council authorities on Friday, Bajwa said that Sekhri was within his rights to hold protests.
Bajwa also said, “But I don’t understand, why did he stafge a dharna against the municipal council that was formed with his own support.”
Blaming Sekhri for being hand-in-glove with municipal council president Naresh Mahajan, Bajwa said “Everyone knows who supported the BJP-ruled MC in 2014 and now, when the Congress government initiated a probe in the working of the council, Sekhri is trying to part his ways.”
In 2014, during the elections of president of Batala municipal council, Sekhri, who was then a sitting MLA and hence and ex-officio member of the MC, had used his vote to install BJP man Naresh Mahajan as its president.
Earlier, former Batala MC vice-president and Congress leader Harinder Singh Kalsi also blamed Sekhri for shielding Naresh Mahajan. Kalsi alleged that during his tenure as the MC vice-president, he found many embezzlements in the working of the council following which, he raised the issue with Sekhri but inspite of supporting him, Sekhri asked him to remain mum.
“It was only after my complaint to the state vigilance department that a probe was conducted and a notice issued to Mahajan,” he added.