PPCC attacks Brar for overstepping brief

PATIALA, Jan 3: Senior Congress leaders launched a sharp attack on Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee vice president Jagmeet Singh Brar at...

PATIALA, Jan 3: Senior Congress leaders launched a sharp attack on Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee vice president Jagmeet Singh Brar at the PPCC meeting here today for overstepping his brief as convenor of the PPCC programme committee set up for the proposed march for the celebration of the tercentenary of the Khalsa Panth.

Tempers ran high and Jagmeet Brar was at the receiving end as several senior Congress leaders of the state criticised him for presenting his report to party chief Sonia Gandhi instead of submitting the

report to the PPCC chief first, authoritative sources in the PPCC told The Indian Express.

These sources said that there were frayed tempers at the meeting as senior PPCC functionaries including Bir Devinder Singh, general secretary, Lal Singh, vice president, former MP Surinder Singla, former PPCC chief Santokh Singh Randhawa, and leader of Congress Legislature Party Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, attacked Brar for going to the press after his meeting with Sonia Gandhi whom he briefed about the programme chalked out for the proposed march.

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These leaders are reporte to have pointed out at the closed door meeting of the party that Brar was responsible only for chalking out the programme of the Congress march, including its date and the route to be followed. He should have presented the report at the PPCC meeting which was already fixed for today instead of announcing the details of the programme in the press.

These Congress leaders also reportedly questioned Brar’s action in calling on the Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh and seeking his intervention in resolving the stand-off between Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra, as also issuing statements about impending reorganisation of the PPCC. They were critical of Brar going too often to the press on different issues.

It is said Jagmeet Brar is believed to have clarified his position stating that he had sought permission from the PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh on telephone before meeting Sonia Gandhi.

The sources said that Capt Amarinder Singh was mostly quiet at the meeting. He, however, commended the `good work done by Brar in chalking out the programme and route besides other details for the proposed march.

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Capt Amarinder Singh announced that the date and the route of the march as recommended by the programme committee would be changed in view of the bad weather and to cover Haryana respectively. He said the final programme would be announced by him on January 6.

However, the party sources confided that this was an indirect rebuke to Brar as he would have made political mileage out of the Maghi fair because he had suggested beginning of the march on that date.

Capt Amarinder Singh, addressing a press conference, said that Haryana Pradesh Congress has sought covering of that state by the proposed march and the HPCC had sent minorities cell chairman Jagdeep Singh Cheema and former Speaker H.S.Chatha for the meeting today for this purpose.

He said heads of different religious sects, Sant Samaj, and leaders of different political parties would be invited for the march. He would personally invite the Jathedars of the four Takhts while the Akal Takht Jathedar had already declined the invitation to join the march.