BJP leader, 2 others booked for farmer’s death
Chandigarh, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi gave out the signal loud and clear that he would not mind taking strict action ( to wield danda) if needed against who-so-ever he might be in case the person was damaging the party interests.
This assertion of his came virtually towards the fag end of the meeting of the PPCC when a secretary level office bearer from Jalandhar raised his hand seeking permission to express his views, despite the fact that the meeting was not inter-active. Sources maintain Rahul came down from the stage and went to that activist to listen to him. He was told that there were some leaders who were working at cross purposes and in the process, it was the party that was getting damaged. He did not name any leader. He said “Aap ko danda chalana padega”. Rahul responded saying he would do everything whatever was needed. All the senior leaders who have never reconciled to each other were listening.
Yet another party leader and former MLA Darshan Brar also raised the issue of factionalism saying there were about half a dozen leaders all of whom were ambitious and eyeing the office of the chief minister. However, in the process, their actions were only doing irreparable damage to the party. He said it should be made abundantly clear that they should fall in line failing which they would be thrown out.
Yet another block president pointed out that the earlier movement launched by the party against drug smuggling was sabotaged by some senior leaders who maintained that there was no need for a CBI probe into drug smuggling in the state as the Punjab Police were doing a wonderful job. The hint was too clear although no names were taken.
Rahul initiated the giant step forward to gear up the party to confront the Akali Dal-BJP alliance with the announcement to launch Save Punjab campaign from November 14 to eradicate the menace of drugs. Referring to the anger of tsunami among people sweeping across length and breadth of the state, he expressed the optimism that none could defeat a united Congress in the next Assembly elections due in 2017.
Rahul’s plans to rev up the party in the border state got going with his interactions at three levels that included block and district presidents, MPs, MLAs, members of the Pradesh Congress Committee and other senior leaders. His first meeting was with the BCC and DCC presidents followed by the PPCC and his day’s programme concluded with a meeting with the PPCC Kisan Wing and a delegation of the Bharatiya Kisan Union led by Bhupinder Singh Mann.
The main leaders present included party’s National General Secretary Ambika Soni, party Secretary Harish Chaudhary, PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa, Deputy Leader of the party in the Lok Sabha Capt. Amarinder Singh, former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, former PPCC presidents including H S Hanspal, Shamsher Singh Dullo, Mohinder Singh Kaypee and Virender Kataria and Ch Santokh Singh, MP.
Apart from a resolution adopted for moving the Supreme Court to seek CBI probe into the smuggling of drugs, Gandhi, while elaborating the Save Punjab campaign, said the party volunteers would be trained to educate the people against the menace of drugs who would go door to door to cover the entire state within two years beginning November 14.
In the first phase, this campaign would be launched in five Assembly constituencies including Majitha, Qadian, Ghanaur, Chabewal and Ludhiana Urban. The party decided to give top priority to the eradication of this menace which is eating into the vitals of once this most progressive state but had now come into the category of laggards due to mismanagement, non-governance and open loot by the SAD government.
His emphasis was on strengthening the party at the lowest levels and said even the senior most leaders should work at the grassroots and attend the meetings of the BCCs and DCCs. He made it clear that the criteria for the allotment of tickets would be party work. He said the BCC presidents had the most vital role to play to gear up the party.
Yet another important decision taken at the meeting of the presidents of the DCCs and BCCs was to set up booth level committees. Rahul Gandhi called upon the party to complete this exercise of setting 11-member committee for each of the about 19,000 booths and the exercise would be completed in about a month. This would involve mobilising more than 2 lakh party activists at the grassroots.
He repeatedly stressed the point that the people in Punjab were fed up and they had made up their mind to bring about the change. The party would be invincible provided the Akali Dal-BJP alliance was confronted unitedly. He stressed this crucial aspect in both the meetings.
At the meeting with the farmers’ delegations which lasted about 30 minutes, he apprised himself about the problems being faced by the peasantry about which he was briefed by Mr Mann and the leaders from the kisan wing.
