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Punjab Congress leaders pass ‘resolution’, press for MP Preneet Kaur’s ouster
The state Congress leaders, including several former ministers, MLAs and ex-MLAs, passed a “resolution” urging the Congress leadership to expel MP Preneet Kaur from the party, three senior leaders said after a party meeting here; they conveyed their sentiment to All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary who chaired the meeting.
Punjab Congress leaders on Tuesday mounted pressure on the party high command to show rebel Patiala MP Preneet Kaur the door without further delay.
The state Congress leaders, including several former ministers, MLAs and ex-MLAs, passed a “resolution” urging the Congress leadership to expel her from the party, three senior leaders said after a party meeting here. They conveyed their sentiment to All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary who chaired the meeting.
The meeting was held to discuss the participation of party workers from Punjab in the protest rally to be held by the Congress in Delhi on September 4 against the back-breaking inflation. Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, former ministers, MPs, among others were present.
Preneet, who is the wife of former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, had turned against the party after her husband left the Congress to float his own political outfit, Punjab Lok Congress (PLC), on being replaced as the CM in September last year. Capt contested the 2022 assembly elections in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Preneet, who initially maintained a low profile, campaigned for candidates of the BJP-PLC combine. “She has ceased to be a member of Punjab Congress and the high command must expel her from the party without any more delay. It was a unanimous resolution and it is high time she is shown the door,” one of the party leaders quoted above said.
Another leader said that as no action has been taken against the four-time MP, party workers in Patiala are confused whether she is in the Congress or not. Bajwa had on Sunday asked the Patiala MP to leave the party as she was no more part of the Congress, except for technical reasons. Chaudhary did not respond to calls.
10,000 party supporters to attend Delhi rally
At the meeting, the party leaders also decided to have 10,000 workers from the state participate in the September 4 rally. “Each MLA and constituency representative will bring along a limited number of people only,” Warring said in a press statement. He said that Congress workers from Punjab will reach Delhi on the same day and they will gather at two places on the Delhi outskirts from where they will all go together to the rally venue. The meeting also deliberated upon the arrangements for the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which will reach Punjab during its last leg. The Yatra will remain in Punjab for over a week and will touch most constituencies before entering Jammu and Kashmir.
