Punjab Congress has decided to formally induct former ministers Raj Kumar Verka, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Gurpreet Kangar, Hansraj Josan and others into the party fold on October 20.
The former ministers and legislators, who returned to the party fold from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and others, will be inducted at a formal function at state headquarters in Chandigarh, party leaders aware of the development said. The former ministers and MLAs were among the state leaders who met All India Congress Committee general secretary KC Venugopal and joined the party in Delhi on October 13. Former MLAs Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu and Mohinder Kumar Rinwa were among those who have done ‘ghar wapsi.’
The decision to formally induct them in Chandigarh was taken as a section of the state leaders got irked over being kept in the dark about their return to the party. “The state unit has already started contacting MPs, MLAs, ex-MLAs and other state leaders to inform them about the programme,” one of the people quoted above said after a meeting of senior party leaders chaired by state Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.
In the meeting, some leaders, while raising the issue of induction of leaders from other parties, said that there should be discussion within the party before making such decisions. “The party should be selective and take local leaders of the area on board while giving entry,” a former MLA said, insisting that there was no issue with regard to Verka and others whose re-entry had already been approved by the party high command.
He said there was also a discussion on the upcoming elections to the municipal corporations of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala and Phagwara and several municipal councils scheduled to be held in the first fortnight of November. Congress Legislature Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa, who did not attend the meeting, has also convened a meeting of Congress MLAs on Thursday to draw the party’s floor strategy for the two-day assembly session starting October 20.
{{/usCountry}}He said there was also a discussion on the upcoming elections to the municipal corporations of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala and Phagwara and several municipal councils scheduled to be held in the first fortnight of November. Congress Legislature Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa, who did not attend the meeting, has also convened a meeting of Congress MLAs on Thursday to draw the party’s floor strategy for the two-day assembly session starting October 20.
{{/usCountry}}On Tuesday, Warring also inducted Mohali deputy mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi into the party.
Former SSP Rajinder Singh and Jiwanjot Kaur, the daughter of former deputy speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti, will also be inducted on Friday, according to a party release. A number of Lok Insaaf Party leaders have also declared their intent to align with the Congress, it said.