Cong cracks show at Sonia rally

With barely four days left for polling in Punjab, sharp differences between chief minister Amarinder Singh and his deputy Rajinder Kaur Bhattal came to the fore at a rally addressed by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in support of the Patiala and Sangrur candidates.

With barely four days left for polling in Punjab, sharp differences between chief minister Amarinder Singh and his deputy Rajinder Kaur Bhattal came to the fore at a rally addressed by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in support of the Patiala and Sangrur candidates.

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Tension was apparent as the organisers tried to ensure that no untoward incident took place.

The factional conflict became visible minutes before Sonia arrived. In an obvious move to embarrass the CM, a small group of workers owing allegiance to Bhattal moved towards the dais shouting slogans in favour of their leader. They were carrying placards with photographs of only Bhattal and Sonia.

That the entire show was preplanned was evident from Bhattal’s gestures. She immediately responded to her supporters. Encouraged by her response, the group walked close to the media enclosure. Bhattal, however, made no effort to stop them.

The differences between the two factions could have an adverse impact on the prospects of Praneet Kaur, the CM’s wife. She is not getting adequate support from Bhattal and her supporters.

When asked to comment on her absence from campaigning, Bhattal said that Sonia had asked her to only help Arvind Khanna in Sangrur. The CM, however, refuted this and said that Sonia was asking people to vote for the Congress and not any individual.