ROPAR: With the assembly elections round the corner, the congress leaders opposed to Ropar DCC president and Anandpur Sahib MLA Romesh Dutt Sharma seems to have started flexing their muscles to prevent Sharma from getting party ticket for the elections.

The congress leaders including Punjab CM’s political secretary Harchand Singh Barsat, AICC member Ramesh Goyal, former MLA Basant Singh, former DCC presidents Amarjit Singh Saini and Khilari Ram Budhiraja, DCC vice presidents Dr.K.R.Sharma and Rajiv Bhanot, Gurbir Singh Gajpur today held a joint press conference in an apparent show of strength.

Speaking on behalf of these leaders, Barsat said they were all contenders for the party ticket for the Anandpur Sahib seat and would stake their claim by meeting the high command and would press for party ticket from anyone of them.

He said if any one of them was given ticket by the party, all others would extend wholehearted support to him to win the election. He said efforts were on to bring the remaining congress leaders on one platform to defeat the Akali Dal on the seat.

When asked whether they would support Sharma, if party decided to allot ticket to him Barsat evaded a direct reply saying that they would make a decision in this regard when the time comes.
These leaders also sought to take credit for the government approval for the construction of bridge over Sutlej at Saran Pattan saying that they had all had made several representations to the Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh in this regard.

They thanked the Chief Minister for granting approval for the bridge to meet the long standing demand of the people of the area and added that they would mobilize huge gathering for the function to be held on the occasion of foundation laying ceremony scheduled to be performed by Chief Minister on October 10 at Bunga Sahib.

Barsat also disclosed that Chief Minister would also lay the foundation stone of the Ropar bypass on the same day.

Barsat informed that Capt.Amarinder Singh would start his ‘Road show’ in the state within next one week to make the people aware about the achievements of the congress government of the state. 

He lashed out at Akali Dal (Badal) alleging that it had no concrete programme for the state and was misleading the people by raising non issues like that of so called city centre scam.