With Brar back on scene, state politics may heat up
Thursday, 20/06/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130620/punjab.htm#7
Chandigarh : The state politics is set to heat up further with senior Congress leader Jagmeet Brar making a comeback by announcing that he has moved lock, stock and barrel to the state and that he would now work towards rejuvenating the state unit. Brar was recently removed as permanent member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to make way for former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
Brar today set the tone for state politics by giving the impression that he alone could take on the Badal family and by offering to contest against Harsimrat Badal from Bathinda. Brar may have had a run of bad luck during the last several years, losing three Lok Sabha elections on the trot, but that does not seem to have dampened his spirits. Claiming that he was the only Congress leader to contest six parliamentary elections, two of which he won against the Badals, Brar said he would set his sight on the Vidhan Sabha now.
This assertion indicates that Brar wants to be rehabilitated in the state Congress so that he could realise his dream of occupying the Chief Minister's chair, which he claims he lost out on twice because he was not a legislator.
The Congress leader's return to state is set to make the fight for supremacy a three-cornered contest now. PCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa has the upper hand at present while Capt Amarinder still has a strong group in the state unit. Brar, in direct contrast, has a limited group in the state unit, but he is a charismatic leader and can cause trouble for Bajwa in the coming days. Brar, when questioned on this, denied the same and said Bajwa was his classmate at Punjab Public School, Nabha, for eight years. He maintained there was space for everyone in the party and that he would create his own space through hard work.
He said he did not need any office to start working in the state but that he was hopeful the party would give him a due position if it was to counter communal forces in Punjab.
Brar denied he had been sidelined for any "wrong" committed by him. He said the party lost Goa under his tutelage, but it was the party high command which took the final decision on issuing tickets and distribution of resources. He said he had been told that his presence was needed in Punjab.
