Chandigarh, December 19: Ahead of Panchayat elections in Punjab, a number of ruling party leaders are up in arms against the government’s Panchayats and Rural Development Department for “ignoring their recommendation to categorise a number of villages” and trying to “please the Shiromani Akali Dal and also the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators.”
Several Congress leaders have alleged that a number of villages were included in reserved and general categories in total contrast with their recommendations. “This has not only caused heartburn among leaders but also could hit the Congress prospects in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.”
A number of leaders, especially from former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s Lambi constituency and former Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia’s Majitha constituency, are upset that despite their repeated pleas that the villages where these leaders had influence should be categorised in such a way that a Congress-backed Panchayat was elected, the reverse was done.
“In Lambi constituency, for instance in Kolianwali village, a known Badal stronghold, I was pushing for the village to be categorised as general category. We had strong candidates there. We could have won it and the village belonging to Badal’s aide Dyal Singh Kolianwali would have come in Congress kitty. But this was reserved for SC. I demand an inquiry by the Congress into it as who is conniving at what stage to still help the Badals. We have come to power after 10 years. We should be heard, Jagpal Singh Abul Khurana, a Congress leader from Lambi told The Indian Express.
Another leader said not just one but at least eight villages were categorised in such a way as to help the Badals.
It is learnt that similar complaints were made by Transport Minister Aruna Chaudhary to the Chief Minister Amarinder Singh that at least eight villages in her area and Congress MLA Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa’s constituency were categorised in a similar way. She even raised the issue in the last cabinet meeting following with the Chief Minister is learnt to have asked the Chief Minister’s office to intervene and take corrective measures. An official of CMO took the list of villages to Punjab Election Commission that declined the request saying it was too late.
