The Tribune – Former Punjab Congress chiefs plan to oust Amarinder

Ajay Banerjee, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 10. Rumblings within the Punjab Congress have reached a crescendo with the group opposed to the state party chief deciding to approach Sonia Gandhi with a one-point agenda: replace Amarinder Singh.

Sources said Amarinder’s arch rival in the party, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, is cobbling together a small group that will comprise former state party presidents. Amarinder’s opponents accuse him of having led the party to a second consecutive defeat in the state assembly elections. His supporters, however, want him to stay on till the next Lok Sabha elections due in 2014.

A small group of party detractors comprising Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Jagmeet Brar and Pratap Bajwa met at Kaypee’s residence on Monday.

This morning, Bhattal, who was on her way back from Jaipur, met two former PPCC chiefs, Varinder Katraia and Shamsher Dullo. Sources said the group wanted to contact RL Bhatia and Mohinder Singh Gill besides HS Hanspal to bring all former PPCC chiefs on board. Bhattal is also a former party chief.

The problem with the anti-Amarinder group is that they cannot agree to his successor. The group, sources said, would like to tell party chief Sonia Gandhi that it would accept the high command’s word on the new appointee once Amarinder is removed.

On the other hand, the AK Antony-led three-member committee, set up by the party high command, is yet to decide on expanding the scope of meetings with Punjab leaders. However, four state party leaders — Avtar Singh Brar, Surinder Singla, Nasib Singh Gill and Varinder Kataria — called on Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today. They reportedly pressed for a change at the top in the Punjab party unit.

Apart from Antony and Dikshit, Union Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde is the third member of the committee that is tasked with analyzing the fault-lines in Punjab, Uttarakhand, UP and Goa party units. A report of the committee is expected this month-end.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120411/main2.htm

The Tribune -Women candidates riding high on gender-centric issues

Gagan K Teja, Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 2. With main political parties of Punjab – SAD and Congress – all set to increase the number of women candidates in the ensuing assembly elections, women-centric issues are expected to dominate the campaign in the assembly segments from where women candidates would be trying their luck. Akali Dal has fielding three women candidates in Patiala district, the maximum from the royal city in the past five decades.

Akali leaders said the SAD would be announcing more women candidates in the next list to be announced shortly.

Though, Congress is yet to announce the names of candidates, but Punjab Mahila Congress president Malti Thapar said that she was rigorously pursuing the party high command in New Delhi that at least one woman candidate from each district of the state should be given Congress ticket.

Meanwhile, the women Akali candidates – Kuldeep Kaur Tohra from Patiala (Rural), Harpreet Kaur Mukhmailpur from Ghanaur and Vaninder Kaur Loomba from Shutrana (SC), are mainly focusing their election campaign on women-centric issues. While canvassing, all the three candidates are listening patiently to women about problems being faced by them.

“Being a woman, it is easier to understand the problems of the women. Though development is our main agenda throughout the state, but I will certainly work for the uplift of women in society”, said Kuldeep on the sidelines of an election meeting in Patiala (Rural) segment.

Expressing similar views, Harpreet Kaur was assuring people of Ghanaur assembly that if elected, she would work for the uplift of women besides taking pains to ensure all-round development of the areas in the constituency.

Vaninder Kaur Loomba said that she was inspired by the work done by Akali MP Harsimrat Kaur against the social evil of female foeticide and would try to follow in her footsteps.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120103/punjab.htm#12

The Asian Age – For Punjab Congress, it’s over to Delhi

Asian Age Correspondent

Chandigarh, 31 December 2011. It’s over to Delhi for Punjab Congress, as all leaders of the state Congress are busy with intense lobbying for party tickets. The fact that the Assembly elections in the state are exactly a month away but Congress leaders are absent from their constituencies has created a political lull for the Congress in the state.

It seems that all of the Punjab Congress has migrated to Delhi, as its all senior leaders as well as ticket aspirants are camping there. The five-member screening committee is headed by Union minister Mr C.P. Joshi, who is having parleys with other members of the committee like PPCC president Mr Amarinder Singh, CLP leader Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and central observer Thakur Gulchain Charak.

Congress sources say that final list would be made by screening committee in two days and will be sent for the final approval to Congress president Ms Sonia Gandhi.

Sources say that the ticket contenders are finding it hard to contact senior leaders in Delhi.

The ticket contenders have interestingly taken a cue from the modern day jobseeker.

Unlike the netas of the past, the new aspirants are equipped with biodata copies.

One of the senior Congress leader from the state told that he has been flooded with biodata’s and some of people have given him their resumes even though they failed to reach Delhi for lobbying.

However, the apparent lack of delay by the Congress is causing anxiety amongst the Congress rank-and-file-as well as its ticket aspirants who feels that rival Akali Dal has already declared most of its candidates and are already canvassing.

http://www.asianage.com/india/punjab-congress-it-s-over-delhi-707