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Cong councillor Lapran resigns over Bains brothers’ induction
Lapran, in his resignation letter to former All India Congress Commitee (AICC) chief Rahul Gandhi, said that he cannot share the stage with a person who is facing rape charges. He also alleged that the arrogance of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief and Ludhiana nominee Amarinder Singh Raja Warring is another reason which forced him to end his 22-year-old affiliation with the grand old party
The induction of former MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains, who is facing rape charges, and his brother Balwinder Singh Bains in the Congress has irked party leaders. Registering protest, sitting Congress councillor Parvinder Singh Lapran resigned from the primary membership of the party on Thursday. Apart from him, another Congress leader, former vice-president of the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) Karan Warring has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Lapran, in his resignation letter to former All India Congress Commitee (AICC) chief Rahul Gandhi, said that he cannot share the stage with a person who is facing rape charges. He also alleged that the arrogance of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief and Ludhiana nominee Amarinder Singh Raja Warring is another reason which forced him to end his 22-year-old affiliation with the grand old party.
Lapran stated that he along with other Congress leaders had already opposed induction of Bains brothers in the party and warned that the step would harm the party reputation, but to no avail.
He started his political career in 2002 after joining NSUI. He was among the eight top performers of the state unit of Congress. Lapran added that he has not taken any decision to join any other party yet.
Friends-turned-foes lock horns
Friends-turned-political rivals Simarjeet Singh Bains and Kamaljeet Singh Karwal will face each other in the polls. Bains had joined the Congress party, while Kamaljeet Singh Karwal had changed his allegiance to the BJP. Both have started campaigning for their respective parties.
Karwal joined the BJP in December 2023 after leaving Congress. He has been silent for the past few months and has less participation in the party programmes. On Thursday, party candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu met him at his residence and chalked out a campaigning plan. Karwal has started activities in the constituency.
Congress leaders, who were facing the flak for inducting former MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains, have joined his campaign in Ludhiana. Bains on Wednesday held public meetings with Raja Warring.
Simarjeet Singh Bains and Karwal, who were childhood friends, had parted their ways in 2017. Karwal had joined the Congress in the run-up to the 2017 assembly elections.
He contested the assembly elections unsuccessfully twice from Atam Nagar constituency in Ludhiana on the Congress ticket. Later, in December 2023, Karwal quit Congress to join BJP.
