LUDHIANA: The chances of an understanding between the dissident Congress legislators of Punjab and Brar faction have once again become bleak with the dissidents rejecting the formula given by the Chief Minister, Mr. Harcharan Singh Brar. The dissident legislators and other Punjab Congressmen supporting them have rather sought disciplinary action against the Chief Minister for not accepting the formula given by the Congress high command.
The dissident leaders met Mrs. Ambika Soni, joint secretary, All India Congress Committee, who is in charge of Punjab affairs, and conveyed to her their decision of seeking the removal of the Chief Minister from the leadership of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). Mrs. Bhathal accused Mr, Brar of distributing plots to the legislators and others to win them over as he has the powers to do so. Mrs. Bhathal said that the party high command had given the formula of equal representation to the dissidents in the government with the deputy minister with all the powers. She was to be the Deputy Chief Minister under the formula. She further added that one steering committee consisting of five leaders with Mr. Pranab Mukherjee as its Chairman was also to be formed. Instead of accepting this formula to bring about unity in the party, Mr. Brar had brought his own formula: “strengthen to purchase persons.”
Mrs. Bhathal claimed that not a single MLA had deserted them and rather their strength had risen to 44 with Mr. Dhan want Singh Dhuri joining them. She also claimed that all the MPs and members of Rajya Sabha were with them and the District Congress Committees were also supporting their case. The latest stand of the dissident Congress legislators has put a damper on the solution of the Punjab tangle. The dissidents have been camping in Delhi since June 10. Meanwhile, in Jalandhar, Mr. Virendra Kataria, president of the Punjab Congress, recently said that vested interests were hindering solution of the crisis in the party in the state. The party high command had prepared a formula to end the crisis which included the appointment of a Deputy Chief Minister and 50% representation to the dissidents. The Chief Minister, Mr. Brar, was not reluctant to accept the formula, he claimed. Mr. Kataria said he was the president of the entire party and not a leader of the dissidents. Unity in the party was the need of the hour. He accepted Mr, Brar as Chief Minister and an important functionary of the party.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 24, 1996
