Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 2

The Congress panel on Punjab met former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) presidents today. Many of them complained of a weak party organisation in the state, besides lack of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s accessibility.

Among the ex-PPCC presidents who met the panel led by AICC veteran Mallikarjun Kharge were Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Hanspal, Shamsher Singh Dullo and Partap Singh Bajwa, the latter two also sitting Rajya Sabha members.

The committee also met other sitting MPs, including CM’s wife and Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari and Khadoor Sahib MP JS Gill.

CM Amarinder Singh is likely to reach Delhi tomorrow with the meeting expected to be scheduled on his arrival, either tomorrow or on Friday.

The MLAs who were engaged by the panel today included Balbir Sidhu, Raminder Awla, Indu Bala, BS Pahra, Surjeet Dhiman, Nathu Ram, Kuljit Nagra, Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon, Gurpreet GP, Harjot Kamal, Amit Vij, Sunil Datti, Fateh Bajwa, Balwinder Laddi, Darshan Mangupur, Parminder Pinki, Sukhpal Bhullar, Joginder Singh, Dalbir Singh Goldy and Devinder Ghubaya. Dullo said he had complained of the state organisation being in a limbo and the CM being inaccessible for around four years now.

“I flagged the need to revive the Punjab Congress. The PCC office has been in lockdown for three years. The CM is not accessible. There is mafia rule in the state. The Congress came to power after people were fed up with the corruption of Akali Dal, but we are now facing the same problem. The party must be revived and the only way to do that is by according traditional Congress loyalists their due space,” he said. The panel will submit a report to Sonia Gandhi next week.