LUDHIANA: Supporters of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Virendra Kataria last week reacted sharply to the suspension of dissident Congress leader and former minister Jagmohan Singh Kang from the Congress Legislature Party by Chief Minister ‘Harcharan Singh Brar.

A staunch Beant Singh loyalist and Kataria supporter, Surinder Dawar, president of the District Congress Committee (Urban), along with DCC (Rural) president Gurdev Singh Lapran, termed the action of the Chief Minister “antiparty.””Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.

He said the Chief Minister should realize that he was ruling the state only because he was a Congressman. It is the party which is supreme and the government formed by the party in democratic setup that to pursue the policies and programs of the party.

Both Dawar and Lapran further took the Chief Minister to task for his alleged move to offer ministerial berths to certain party functionaries who had worked openly against the party candidates at many places, including Ludhiana, from where the slain Chief Minister, Beant Singh’s widow, Jaswant Kaur, had lost to the Akali Dal no mince.

They also demanded a high-level probe into the allegations of massive fund collection by the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues for the elections, “which was never handed over to the PCC nor was distributed among the party candidates in a just manner.”

Meanwhile, Krishan Kumar Bawa, 6xchairman of HOUSEFED, Punjab, and Pawan Diwan, general’ secretary of the Punjab Youth Congress, in a statement issued here last week strongly criticized Virendra Kataria for issuing baseless statements, and holding the Chief Minister responsible for the defeat of Congress candidates in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.

They alleged that it were Kataria’s irresponsible statements during the campaign that demoralized the Congress workers. Kataria was not able to mobilize the workers and impress the people during the elections, they added.

‘They also strongly condemned the role of Maninderjit Singh Bitta, president of the All India Youth Congress, during the election campaign and alleged that he had. Taken revenge from la is Beant Singh’s family by defeating his widow from Ludhiana.

They appealed to Congress president Narasimha Rao to remove Kataria from the PPC president’s post and strengthen the hands of Harcharan Singh Brix by giving him dual charge. They claimed that Brar was the only leader in the state who could motivate the party for the coming. ‘Vidhan Sabha elections, as he enjoys the image of a clean and honest leader.

Meanwhile, in Patiala, while the senior Congress leaders from Patiala have strongly condemned the Cabinet members for demanding the replacement of Virendra Kataria, a Punjab Pradesh Committee member, Dr, Parkash Mittal, has urged Kataria to call a meeting of the PPCC in order to democratically elect new state president.

Dr, Mittal said that after the Congress debacle in the just concluded elections in Punjab, a strong party setup supported by a democratically elected president was needed to enable the party to face the ‘coming assembly elections.

In case, Mittal said, Kataria failed t0 convene the PPCC meeting the members. Would be compelled to go for a requisitioned meeting to thrash out important issues.

‘The District Congress Committee (Urban) president, RP, Attari, and the DCC (Rural) president, Vijay Gautam, said it was unprecedented that the party’s legislative wing had sought the replacement of party’s state chief.

Article extracted from this publication >>  May 29, 1996