CHANDIGARH: All is not well in the Congress party. While the party is fighting strong anti-incumbency in Punjab, the top leaders are pitched against each other to grab the CM post. Family members of many Congress leaders have rebelled against the mother party.
Manish Tiwari Congress MP from Anandpur Sahib has raised the voice against rebellion by family members of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Partap Singh Bajwa and Rana Gurjit Singh. Manish said that he was not the Congressman of this kind, that my brother is fighting against the official candidate, somewhere my brother is fighting from BJP and my son is fighting against the official candidate.
Manish Tiwari insisted that it was against the moral values that relatives of Congress leaders were fighting against party candidates. He said that he was from a family of Congress who gave blood for the party. Manish Tiwari however said that he was holding continues election meetings. The Congress party has not included Manish in the list of star campaigners for Punjab.
Tiwari though ahs not named the leaders whose relatives are fighting against official candidates. His obvious target are CM Channi whose brother Dr. Manohar Singh is fighting as an independent from Bassi Pathana seat, Partap Singh Bajwa whose brother is fighting on BJP ticket from Batala and Rana Gurjit Singh whose son Rana Inder Partap Singh is contesting as an independent from Sultanpur Lodhi.
Besides, the family rebels, the Congress party is also facing more than half a dozen rebels from different seats. Some of Congress leaders have joined BJP and AAP and are contesting from other parties. Some senior leaders of Congress like former Minister Jagmohan Singh Kang and Jassi Khangura, both were denied party ticket from Kharar and Kila Raipur, have joined AAP. H.S.Hanspal is another senior Congress leader who joined AAP but not contesting.
The prominent Congress rebels are former MLAs Nazar Singh Mansahia from Mansa, Angad Singh from Nawanshahar, Harminder Singh Jassi from Tlwandi Sabo, Amrik Singh Dhillon from Samrala. Dr. Harjot Kamal Congress MLA frpm Moga is now contesting on BJP ticket against official candidate Malvika sood, sister of Sonu Sood.
Krishan Kumar Bawa a senior Congress leader of Ludhiana who wanted party ticket but denied is now contesting as an independent fro Ludhiana west. Manjit Kaur, wife of former deputy speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti has filed papers as an independent from Malout seat. Congress has denied ticket to Bhatti. Harpinder Singh brother of Congress MP Jasbir Singh Dimpa is contesting as an independent from Khadoor Sahib.
The former state Congress president Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Daman Bajwa and Amarjeet Tikka are few other who quit Congress but not joined any other party.
Former PPCC president Sunil Jakhar is not an exception. Though he has not quit the party but raising his voice against the internal system of Congress party. While Channi and PPCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu are trying to get a ticket of CM post, Jakhar is claiming he was favourite of most MLAs for the top post when Channi was nominated. He is not active to campaign for the party and neither is contesting the elections.