CHANDIGARH: Having been ignored by Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who visited Punjab today, Punjab Congress leaders have lodged a strong protest with the party high command. Shinde did not invite a single Congress man during his visit to Punjab.
Ironically, neither the Home Ministry nor the State Administration informed or invited Congress MLAs, district Congress presidents, local leaders for visit of the Home Minister. However, SAD-BJP leaders were present throughout the Union Home Minister’s visit to the state.
Irked at this step-motherly treatment meted out to them, the Congressmen, particularly from the border areas, have sent a letter to the AICC President against Shinde demanding strong action against him.
“Despite AICC instructions to ministers to visit the district Congress offices, the minister neither visited any nor he invited Congressmen for his visit,” said a senior Congress leader.
“It is alarming that instead of talking tough against the SAD-BJP combine, which siphoned off Central and border area development funds, Shinde chose to visit Punjab along with their leaders, who are responsible for such plundering. These SAD-BJP leaders often accuse the Central Congress leadership of several charges,” rued another Congress man.
The Congress men have questioned as to why the ministry and administration failed to invite Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa, when the administration had invited Tarn Taran Member Parliament.Ironically, Bajwa had led a delegation recently to meet the Union Home Minister for a CBI probe in the Border Area Development Fund in Attari, the area that the Home Minister visited today. The Congressmen had also demanded an inquiry against former Punjab Minister Gulzar Singh Ranikefor siphoning off the funds.
The party's senior members have urged the Congress president to take notice of the matter and suitable action against Shinde.The joint statement has been issued by DCC Gurdaspur President Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, MLA OP Soni, MLA SS Sukhsarkaria, MLA Tripat Rajinder Bajwa, MLA Charanjit Kaur Bajwa, MLA Aruna Chaudhry, MLA Raminder Sikki, DCC Amritsar President Harpartap Singh Ajnala, DCC Tarn Taran President Dharmbir Agnihotri, DCC Amristar (urban) president Jugal Kishore Sharma, former MLA Jasbir Singh Dimpa, Gurchet Singh Bhullar, Harminder Singh Gill, Tarsem Singh DC (from Attari), Raman Behl, Balbir Fatehpur and others.
