Factionalism in the Punjab Congress is an open secret. But the extent to which it pervades through its state unit came to the fore on the premises of the Vidhan Sabha today, when MLAs from the Amarinder camp booed senior Congress MLA Ashwani Sekhri and tore the resolution that he had moved.
Sekhri has decided to meet the Speaker and demand security in the Vidhan Sabha as he feels “mischieveous elements could harm him”.
In a bid to quell fears of a group of MLAs breaking away to form a party, two young MLAs, both known to be close aides of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, had reportedly approached Batala MLA Ashwani Sekhri. The trio decided to get a resolution passed in the Congress legislature party meeting, saying the party MLAs had full faith in the party high command and that they were united against the Akali-BJP government in the state.
Sekhri, a three-time MLA, passed the resolution around in the House for all party MLAs to sign it while the proceedings were on. Thirty MLAs signed the resolution. However, after the Congress staged the second walkout from the House, MLA Sangat Singh Gilzian allegedly accused Sekhri of getting his signatures without his consent. Sekhri asked Gilzian to cut his name from the resolution himself. Gilzian caught hold of the resolution, tore it into pieces and threw it away. Three senior Congress MLAs from the Amarinder camp rebuked Sekhri for moving that resolution.
The issue was also discussed in the CLP meeting, where the MLAs owing allegiance to Amarinder booed him again. Though Sekhri tried to explain why he was getting the resolution passed, his voice was drowned in sloganeering by confidants of the former CM. Though Gilzian could not be contacted for comments, Sekhri confirmed the incident.
“The Congress is a secular party and everybody has a right to get a resolution passed in the CLP meeting. I had discussed the issue with Kuljit Nagra and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring before moving the resolution. If anybody had any objection, they were free not to sign it,” he said.
Sekhri has decided to meet the Speaker and demand security in the Vidhan Sabha as he feels “mischieveous elements could harm him”.
In a bid to quell fears of a group of MLAs breaking away to form a party, two young MLAs, both known to be close aides of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, had reportedly approached Batala MLA Ashwani Sekhri. The trio decided to get a resolution passed in the Congress legislature party meeting, saying the party MLAs had full faith in the party high command and that they were united against the Akali-BJP government in the state.
Sekhri, a three-time MLA, passed the resolution around in the House for all party MLAs to sign it while the proceedings were on. Thirty MLAs signed the resolution. However, after the Congress staged the second walkout from the House, MLA Sangat Singh Gilzian allegedly accused Sekhri of getting his signatures without his consent. Sekhri asked Gilzian to cut his name from the resolution himself. Gilzian caught hold of the resolution, tore it into pieces and threw it away. Three senior Congress MLAs from the Amarinder camp rebuked Sekhri for moving that resolution.
The issue was also discussed in the CLP meeting, where the MLAs owing allegiance to Amarinder booed him again. Though Sekhri tried to explain why he was getting the resolution passed, his voice was drowned in sloganeering by confidants of the former CM. Though Gilzian could not be contacted for comments, Sekhri confirmed the incident.
“The Congress is a secular party and everybody has a right to get a resolution passed in the CLP meeting. I had discussed the issue with Kuljit Nagra and Amarinder Singh Raja Warring before moving the resolution. If anybody had any objection, they were free not to sign it,” he said.
