Jagmeet Brar wants Capt Amarinder, other stalwarts to contest LS polls
Wednesday, 19/06/2013
http://www.punjabnewsline.com/news/jagmeet-brar-wants-capt-amarinder-other-stalwarts-to-contest-ls-polls/81262
CHANDIGARH: Senior Punjab Congress leader and former Lok Sabha MP Jagmeet Singh Brar on Wednesday appealed to the state party leadership to put its best foot forward in the coming Parliamentary polls and ask party stalwarts to contest the elections in order to inflict a crushing defeat on the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine.
Speaking to the media, Brar said that former chief minister and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Capt Amarinder Singh should be asked to contest from Bathinda parliamentary constituency against sitting SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is the wife of deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Similarly, former chief minister and PPCC chief Rajinder Kaur Bhattal should be put up from Sangrur, while present PPCC chief and sitting Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa should be asked to seek re-election from his constituency. He also wanted Union minister of state for external affairs Preneet Kaur to seek re-election from Patiala, while similar stalwarts could be put up from other constituencies. Brar said that he himself was ready to contest against Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Bathinda.
Brar began his media briefing with a grateful thanks to All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for all they had done for him during his long political career spanning 32 years, which included stints as general secretary of Indian Youth Congress, joint secretary, secretary, special invitee and permanent special invitee of Congress Working Committee (CWC), observer for 23 states in the country, and was also given charge of Goa, Daman & Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. He also remained member of Lok Sabha for two terms from Faridkot and Ferozepur parliamentary constituencies. Brar said that he had fought nine elections, of which he could win only two. He also had the honor of defeating Sukhbir Singh Badal from Faridkot in 1999.
Brar said that he was happy that his classmate Partap Singh Bajwa had been appointed PPCC chief and he would extend him full support. He could not attend his coronation ceremony because he was abroad at that time. He also welcomed the induction of Capt Amarinder Singh as special invitee into CWC. He said that he has had three meetings with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the Prime Minister in recent days and he had been asked to work in Punjab. Therefore, he had wound up his show in New Delhi and shifted back with bag and baggage to the state. He said he did not want any office for himself, but he would like to campaign with full force for the party in the elections.
The Congress leader said that he fully supported an electoral alliance with People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) for the upcoming parliamentary elections. Brar also said that he would prefer to contest for the state assembly from Muktsar constituency if the opportunity presented itself.
