CHANDIGARH: When former Congress Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh joined the BJP on Monday, he held a long list of several others who were to follow suit. However, it appears the state Congress did some last-minute firefighting and stopped about a dozen leaders, including former ministers and MLAs, from switching sides.
The crisis in the state Congress is far from over as resentment persists in its influential section against the top leadership. Sources said many would-be party changers were on their way to Delhi while a few had already reached the national capital. They reportedly returned after last minute persuasion by senior leaders, including leader of the opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and former Union minister Ambika Soni.
Some of the fence-sitters reportedly included former Punjab speaker KPS Rana and OP Soni. All these leaders were given an assurance that the issues they have raised would be sorted out within the party and by the high command.
Sources said many Congress leaders attacked Harish Choudhary, the party in-charge of the state unit, for converting the party into a “private company” where nobody listens to party leaders and workers.