Chandigarh: Defiance or mere clash of dates? The Congress mega rally in New Delhi to celebrate its “victory” over the Narendra Modi government in forcing it to withdraw the controversial land acquisition bill will not be attended by party’s deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Captain Amarinder Singh.
The rally date — September 20 — is also the day the former Punjab chief minister is to launch his book, The Monsoon War, which is based on the 1965 war with Pakistan. Amarinder, who is believed to be peeved at the high command for not heeding to his suggestions on who should replace Partap Singh Bajwa as Punjab Congress president, had given the entire monsoon session of Parliament a miss.
He was also not seen in the recent meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), where party president Sonia Gandhi’s presidency was extended by a year. Amarinder, when contacted, said he was not sure if he would attend Sunday’s rally.
“I have my book launch in Delhi on the same day. There could be traffic jams on the roads because of the rally and I might not be able to reach the launch venue, which is at quite a distance from Ramlila Ground. I cannot afford to miss my own book’s launch,” he said.
Unlike the April mega rally against the land bill, where Captain’s camp had sported saffron turbans and bands to show it had outdone the Bajwa group in gathering a crowd, this time it is going to do only what Punjab Pradesh Congress Commiittee (PPCC) has mandated. “The PPPC has asked for two busloads from each constituency, and we will try to take only those many,” said legislator Tarlochan Singh.
Amarinder has not only given the party’s programmes a miss but also countered its stand on stalling the goods and services tax (GST) bill. He had also claimed that his rallies in Punjab were “more useful than staging dharnas outside Parliament during the monsoon session”.
While some of his loyalists hint he might break away from the Congress, Amarinder had on Sunday hosted a power dinner to show he still enjoyed the support of most Congress legialators, former MLAs and district party presidents. A decision on the new state party president, Congress sources said, was likely after the September 20 rally.
The rally date — September 20 — is also the day the former Punjab chief minister is to launch his book, The Monsoon War, which is based on the 1965 war with Pakistan. Amarinder, who is believed to be peeved at the high command for not heeding to his suggestions on who should replace Partap Singh Bajwa as Punjab Congress president, had given the entire monsoon session of Parliament a miss.
He was also not seen in the recent meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), where party president Sonia Gandhi’s presidency was extended by a year. Amarinder, when contacted, said he was not sure if he would attend Sunday’s rally.
“I have my book launch in Delhi on the same day. There could be traffic jams on the roads because of the rally and I might not be able to reach the launch venue, which is at quite a distance from Ramlila Ground. I cannot afford to miss my own book’s launch,” he said.
Unlike the April mega rally against the land bill, where Captain’s camp had sported saffron turbans and bands to show it had outdone the Bajwa group in gathering a crowd, this time it is going to do only what Punjab Pradesh Congress Commiittee (PPCC) has mandated. “The PPPC has asked for two busloads from each constituency, and we will try to take only those many,” said legislator Tarlochan Singh.
Amarinder has not only given the party’s programmes a miss but also countered its stand on stalling the goods and services tax (GST) bill. He had also claimed that his rallies in Punjab were “more useful than staging dharnas outside Parliament during the monsoon session”.
While some of his loyalists hint he might break away from the Congress, Amarinder had on Sunday hosted a power dinner to show he still enjoyed the support of most Congress legialators, former MLAs and district party presidents. A decision on the new state party president, Congress sources said, was likely after the September 20 rally.
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