CHANDIGARH: The visit of former union minister Rajesh Pilot to Punjab last week has started the process of realignment in the Congress Legislature Party in the state with All India Youth Congress president and Transport Minister inderjit Singh Bitta shifting his loyalty from the Chief minister’s camp. Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar left for Delhi in the morning on an un scheduled visit. Sources said he had been summoned by the Congress high command. As Biltta is considered close to Congress president and former Prime Minister P.Y. Narasimha Rao, his action is being seen as a change in attitude of Rao towards Brar. During the two months cri Sis in the CLP, Rao had made it clear that there was no question of changing the Chief Minister at this stage as pressed by the rebels. Bitta had sided with Brar during the crisis in the party. Bitta last week discussed the changing political scenario with Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal who represents the antiwar group in the CLP. What irked the high command is the lending of the state government helicopter to Pilot for his Nabha visit. Three ministers, Mohinder Singh Gill Jasjit Singh Randhawa and Hamek Singh Gharuan besides Mandi Board chairman Gurbinder Singh Atwal were present at the farmers convention addressed by Pilot which was organized by Ramesh Singla, an independent MLA but sup porter of Brar Singla, the former president of Punjab Youth Congress was summarily removed by Bitta about two years ago. The major thrust of the speech of Pilot was against the tainted party leaders which is being interpreted as a direct attack on Rao. “Rao is my leader and I cannot tolerate this action of Brar in providing facilities to Pilot to visit the state who mainly indulged in Rao bashing,” Bitta said.
Bhattal camp was jubilant at the sudden turn of events in its favor. She is visiting Delhi soon and will meet Rao and former Union minister Pranab Mukherjee to apprise them of the Situation in the state. The Bhattal camp has not been happy at the non-implementation of the formula into to by Brar which was hammered out at the intervention of Rao and Mukherjee. The Brar camp, in tum, had been making all-out effort to woo people from the Bhattal camp. Brar has been toying with the idea of expanding his already jumbo sized cabinet but the high command is yet to give him a green signal.
The loyalists of slain chief minister Beant Singh are also distressed at the way the function to observe his death anniversary on August 31 has been hijacked by the state government. The function was to be organized by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee on the lines of the death anniversary of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal which is observed as an all-party function.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 4, 1996
