Congress rift to fore at Sultanpur Lodhi rallies

Factionalism in the Congress came out in the open in Sultanpur Lodhi on Saturday as its leaders launched a veiled attack on their party colleague Rana Gurjeet Singh, calling for a disciplinary action against him and demanding to identify “sleeper cells” of other parties within.

The demands came during the “Parivartan Rally” held by the party in the Assembly segment, considered a stronghold of Kapurthala Congress MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh.

Just 2 km from the rally venue, Rana Gurjeet’s son and Independent Sultanpur Lodhi legislator Rana Inder Partap Singh held a parallel “Navin Soch, Nawan Punjab Rally”.

Though the MLA’s rally wasn’t attended by his father, sources said he played a crucial role in mobilising support for the event, considered a show of strength by the Ranas.

Rana Gurjeet has been at loggerheads with state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and had held a rally on March 11 in Muktsar, the state Congress chief’s home district.

The Congress event was being seen as a new episode in the Warring-Rana Gurjeet rivalry. Earlier, Rana Gurjeet has termed Warring a “selfish leader” and had expressed his willingness to lead the state unit of the party.

Rana Gurjeet, a sugar baron, had during the 2022 Assembly poll rebelled against the party and fielded his son from Sultanpur Lodhi against party candidate Navtej Singh Cheema, who faced defeat in the election.

The Congress event was attended by AICC secretary Ravindra Dalvi, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly — Partap Bajwa — Lok Sabha MP Sukhjinder Randhawa, MLAs Sukhpal Khaira and Balwinder Dhaliwal, ex-MP Jasbir Dimpa, ex-minister Sundar Sham Arora, former MLAs Sukhwinder Danny, Kulbir Zira and Pawan Adia.

Though, towards the end of the Congress event, Warring asked party leaders to “stand united”, Khaira launched rather a direct attack against Rana Gurjeet. Without taking any name, he said, “The Congress leadership must take a disciplinary action against those who have organised a parallel rally.”

Sukhjinder Randhawa urged the Congress leadership to identify “sleeper cells” of other parties in the party. His demand was backed by Warring.

According to Congress leaders, the rally stalled the possible entry of Rana Inder Singh to the party for the time being while giving a new lease of life to the political career of Cheema, a bete noire of the Ranas.

Meanwhile, the Sultanpur Lodhi legislator accused Cheema of misappropriating funds meant for the celebration of the 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak in 2019, when the Congress was in power in the state.

On Khaira’s statement comparing the Ranas with industrialist Gautam Adani for announcing to lift all maize on support price for their ethanol plants, the MLA said, “Khaira has no experience of farming and he should better keep silent”.

Punjab