LUDHIANA: In a dramatic development office bearers and district president of the Punjab Youth Congress. On April 1 sieged an open revolt and demanded the resignation of Maninderjit Singh Bitta as president of the Indian Youth Congress, for his dictatorial style of functioning and corrupt and anti-party activities.
The two and a half hour long meeting, presided over by senior vice-president Rakesh Sharma, decided mean upon Prime Minister Narasimlia Rao, AICC general secretary in charge of Punjab affairs Ahmed Patel and Jatinder Prasad, along with Chief Minister Beam Singh in next few days, to Press the issue of Bin’s removal. Ramesh Sing, till recently president of the PYC, who was removed by Bitta two weeks ago attended the meeting as an observer on behalf of Beant Singh.
The emergency meeting demanded a high-level inquiry into the amassing of wealth by Bina by “selling” organizational posts and allegedly collecting huge funds for party matters. Devinder Singla Babbu, general secretary of PYC told media persons that earlier. Bitta owned only a car he had purchased on installments a few years ago, However he alleged now Bitta owned four kothis and 15 plots in Amritsar besides landed property in Ludhiana, Ban-galore and Bombay. Further, he was building a hotel near Palam airport in Delhi had a patrol pump at Mani Majra and got another one sanctioned at Ludhiana and had a Maruti agency at Bathinda.
Ramesh Sing went to the ex-tent of charging Bina with running a parallel youth organization against the parental Congress in Punjab as well as at national level. Addressing a youth rally in circuit house. Singla said he had resigned one month before Bina announced his removal at a public rally to Scant Singh who is also president of the Pradesh Congress.
The youth leaders, on Saturday, remarked that Bilta’s of repeated commitment to the unity and integrity of India was a mere charade to cloak his nefarious activities. They also felt that Bitta should not exploit militant attacks on his life to emerge as a hero.
The youth leaders reposed their faith in the leadership of Ramesh Singh and refused to accept
Bhupesh Sharma the newly-appointed state chief terming his appointment illegal. They also asserted that dissolution of various Youth Congress unit in Punjab by Bitta to scuttle the revolt against him was also illegal as per the party constitution and claimed that the status quo ante existed. A much publicized YC meet scheduled to be held here on Sun-day. was cancelled, as a result of the revolt against the YC chief Bina. The youth conference here was planned on the directions of Bina who was very keen to make the conference a big success.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 8, 1994
