Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 16
The first meeting of the PCC’s pradesh election committee chaired by Navjot Singh Sidhu saw many senior Punjab Congress leaders demanding denial of ticket to tainted leaders or those associated with any type of mafia in the upcoming Assembly elections. Former PCC chief Sunil Jakhar, CM Charanjit Singh Channi and state affairs incharge Harish Chaudhary were present at the meeting.
Take on heavyweights: Nagra
Working president Kuljit Nagra, without naming anyone, said to prove their mettle, big faces in the party should take on heavyweights of other parties.
This is aimed at projecting anti-mafia image of the party ahead of the elections. At the meeting, the committee passed two resolutions unanimously, authorising party president Sonia Gandhi to take decision pertaining to the Assembly elections and remembering former PM Indira Gandhi on Vijay Divas, celebrated for creating Bangladesh.
Without mentioning the unease between CM Channi and PCC chief Sidhu, most of the former PCC presidents opined it was not the time to fight over who would be the CM face but work together to bring back the government.
Rajya Sabha MP Shamsher Singh Dullo, while raking up the sacrilege and drug cases, is learnt to have pointed out it was not a cakewalk for the party in the Assembly poll.
Working president and Fatehgarh MLA Kuljit Nagra, without naming anyone, said everyone wanted to be the CM. Without naming Channi or Sidhu, Nagra said to prove their mettle, big faces in the party should take on heavyweights of other parties.
Punjab Youth Congress president Brinder Dhillon, while pleading the case of giving adequate number of seats in the coming Assembly elections to youth, said there should be a clear criteria for selecting candidates. Some leaders were distributing grants whereas prospective candidates were not being kept in the loop, he is learnt to have said.
The Congress will accept applications from desirous candidates for party ticket till December 20. Ajay Maken, chairman of the screening committee on the Punjab elections, landed in the city today to hold a meeting with senior party leaders.
At PCC meet, call for unity; no ticket to tainted
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