‘Cong seniors colluded with AAP to unravel Mohali MC’

Mohali: Taking on Congress state president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and nine Congress councillors of Mohali, sacked senior deputy mayor Amrik Singh Somal and deputy mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi alleged that the state Congress high command, in connivance with councillors, accepted graft from local AAP-MLA to create political unrest in Mohali.
In a public meet, Somal and Bedi said, “Raja Warring, along with local conspirators, has harmed the Congress party and disintegrated the Mohali Congress. They have taken graft from the local AAP-MLA to create unrest in the Congress. Rishav Jain and conspirators must forget dreaming of taking over Corporation top posts.”
Somal and Bedi continued to stand firm with BJP mayor Amarjit Singh Jeeti Sidhu. They said they would continue to support him to ensure development of the city.
The 25 Congress councillors made it clear that even if the party expelled them, they would not go against mayor Amarjit Singh. They further announced support to senior deputy mayor Amrik Singh Somal and deputy mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi.
Somal and Bedi said they were sacked without notice and alleged a conspiracy by some local Congress leaders. They also claimed that it seemed as if there was a “secret pact” between the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), under which Punjab Congress was working for AAP to take over Mohali Municipal Corporation.
They added that during voting for senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, MC Narpinder Singh Rangi did not vote for either Amrik Singh Somal or Kuljit Singh Bedi. They claimed that Rishav Jain walked out with his wife without voting for mayoral candidate Amarjit Singh Jiti Sidhu and questioned why no action was taken against these leaders. They also alleged that Congress councillors were being pressured by the AAP government by transferring them or their family members. They said that local MLA Kulwant Singh could not bring about any political change in the MC by exerting such pressure. They lashed out at Congress Urban president Jaspreet Singh Gill and said these Congress leaders had not done any work for the party and were only conspiring to secure positions in the MC.
When asked whether Congress councillors would support the BJP mayor, they said Kulwant Singh belonged to the Azad group and was made mayor by the Congress and even when he joined the Akali Dal, the Congress continued to support him. They said that they would continue to support mayor Amarjit Singh Jiti Sidhu to continue development in the city no matter which party the mayor belonged to.
Deputy mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi said that he had met Punjab Congress president Raja Warring and told him that he was and would remain a loyal soldier of Congress but Punjab Congress should not interfere in the MC as this would be a major blow to the development of Mohali city and people would go against the Congress. Somal and Bedi also made it clear that they would not join any party. They said that by working with mayor Amarjit Singh Jiti Sidhu in the Municipal Corporation, they would take development works in Mohali to new heights. Describing themselves as assets to the party, they said that Warring had done a “great disservice” to the party by dismissing them.