CHANDIGARH: MLAs, especially the younger lot who have been loyal to former chief minister Amarinder Singh, are getting jittery over their association with him.
According to many of them, Amarinder must sort out his differences with the Congress high command at the earliest. Otherwise they could all be victimised within the party fold in the coming days. The MLAs also feared that political vendetta could be unleashed on them because of their proximity to the former chief minister. Congress sources told TOI at the moment Amarinder enjoys support of over 25 MLAs.
Some Congress MLAs, requesting anonymity, told TOI Amarinder who once enjoyed close proximity to the top Congress leadership did not enjoy the same equation anymore. According to them, AICC top leadership was particularly not pleased with Amarinder after he failed to balance his party commitments and his relationship with former external affairs minister Natwar Singh. Senior Congress leaders had exploited this to Amarinder’s disadvantage, said one MLA.
Some of the MLAs who met TOI felt that Amarinder needed to settle his misunderstandings with the high command and press his claim for the PPCC post. Peeved with Amarinder for doing little to put an end to his differences with the high command as well as senior Congress leaders in Delhi, some MLAs felt that their unconditional support to Amarinder might be used against them by their opposite group within the party. “Tomorrow we have to seek tickets and if Amarinder does not find favour with the high command, we will suffer,” they claimed. “A new leader will obviously try to cut us to size,” lamented one.
MLAs, however, categorically told TOI that Amarinder was their undisputed leader and they did not accept Rajinder Kaur Bhattal as their leader. “So what if she has been made the CLP leader? Her mass appeal is no match to that of Amarinder,” they claimed.
Amarinder, according to them, had made a lasting impact in the Malwa hinterland, once considered a stronghold of the Akalis. According to them, Amarinder was the only Congress leader in the state who was capable of rejuvenating the party cadre and the AICC should not ignore this fact while deciding the new PPCC chief.
Source: The Times of India News Service