CONGRESS MEETING IN SANGRUR DISRUPTED BY PROTEST. BAGHEL WARNS OF ACTION IF CONGRESS WORKERS FOUND INVOLVED

Naresh Kumar/Sangrur

A Congress organisational meeting in Sangrur district was briefly disrupted on Saturday after around 50 people allegedly raised slogans against senior party leaders, prompting Punjab affairs in-charge Bhupesh Baghel to warn that disciplinary action would be taken if those responsible were found to be Congress workers.

The meeting, held at California Resort on Sunam Road in Sangrur, was part of the party’s nine-day organisational campaign aimed at strengthening the Congress ahead of the next Punjab Assembly elections. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, several senior leaders and party functionaries attended the event.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Baghel said Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would campaign extensively in Punjab and address election rallies once the Assembly election schedule is announced.

He said he would personally visit all the Assembly constituencies in the state to strengthen the party organisation at the grassroots level and added that the Assembly elections could be held in November.

Raja Warring alleged that the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were working together to split the Congress vote in Punjab. He claimed the two parties were acting in coordination to politically weaken the Congress ahead of the Assembly polls.

The meeting witnessed a brief disruption when around 50 people allegedly raised slogans and shouted against Warring, leading to a temporary commotion before the situation was brought under control. Some people present at the venue alleged that the protesters were supporters of former Punjab minister Vijay Inder Singla. There was, however, no independent confirmation of the claim.Responding to a question on the disruption, Baghel said that if the protesters were identified as Congress workers or office-bearers, the party would issue notices to them and take appropriate disciplinary action if they were found guilty of indiscipline.

Replying to a question on whether the Enforcement Directorate’s action against him had politically weakened the Congress in Punjab, Baghel rejected the suggestion, saying he had never bowed to pressure or acted out of fear.

“I have gone to jail, and my son also remained in jail for seven months. Had we been working in collusion with anyone, we would not have gone to jail,” Baghel said, maintaining that the cases against him were politically motivated.
The Congress has been holding a series of organisational meetings across Punjab as part of its preparations for the next Assembly elections, with the focus on strengthening the party organisation and mobilising workers at the grassroots level.