NEW DELHI: Jagmeet Singh Brar, MP and a potential candidate for the office of president of the All-India Youth Congress, is facing a tough challenge from certain Congress leaders from Punjab, while he is getting appreciable support of leaders from several other states.
Brar, who was a general secretary of the TYC from 1986 to 1989, is a probable for the post of IYC president, The other probable include Mukul Wasnik, MP and former IYC president, and Mamta Banerjee, a Union Minister and president of the West Bengal Youth Congress.
Opposition to Brar from his home state is reported to be from the Chief Minister, Beant Singh, Surinder Singla, MP, and Venod Sharma, MP, from Chandigarh, Beant Singh is understood to have not opposed his candidature further after he along with certain Congressmen from Punjab called on the Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, and expressed their opposition to the candidature of Brar. Narasimha Rao was reported to have not committed himself to either side, but the response given by the Congress president made it appear that he was not happy at the manner he was being told against Brar.
Brar hosted a dinner in a hotel recently, The occasion apparently was to display his political clout. But another dinner was organized by the rival group from Punjab in Kapurthala House here, It was attended, among others, by Beant Singh, and a former President, Giani Zail Singh.
The dinner hosted by Brar was attended by about 50 MPs and senior Congress leaders, including Union Minister for Human Resources Development Arjun Singh, M .Chandra Shekhar and Union Minister Ashok Gehlot. The number of political leaders at the dinner hosted by Brar was far more than what it was at the once hosted by the rival group. Beant Singh, Surinder Singla, Iqbal Singh and Venod Sharma were not seen at the dinner hosted by Brar, while all other members of Parliament and prominent persons from Punjab attended both parties.
One of the reasons why a large number of MPs from other states attended a dinner hosted by Brar appeared to be that he was IYC general secretary had been in charge of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kamataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Rajasthan. The turnout of politicians from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab was quite impressive.
The most potent argument in favor of Brar being given by his supporters is that a Sikh has never been president Of the IYC. Appointment of Brar as president of the highest youth body of the AICC may prove helpful in bringing the misguided Punjab youth back into the national mainstream. Brar, they say, has the determination and power to show his worth.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 4, 1992
