Congress Patiala MP opposes ‘halqa in-charge’ culture
Congress MP from Patiala, Dr. Dharamvira Gandhi, has strongly criticised the party’s decision to appoint halqa in-charges in Patiala district. He said that during recent events across eight assembly segments, these so-called coordinators dominated proceedings while young Congress workers were ignored. In a Facebook post, he wrote: “What is and who is this halqa in-charge in the Congress party? They are the candidates who could not make it to the Vidhan Sabha. Some even lost their deposits.” Gandhi alleged that this halqa in-charge culture was deliberately introduced to block the rise of dedicated local youth leaders.
HP minister’s son embarrasses Congress
The Himachal Pradesh Congress is embarrassed after Col (Retd) Sanjay Shandil, son of Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Dhani Ram Shandil, took to social media to demand suspension of lax and corrupt officers in the health department. He claimed that corrupt officials do not even hesitate to exploit the specially-abled. Sanjay Shandil, who is aspiring to contest the next assembly elections after being declared his father’s political heir, has been active in the field since his retirement a few months ago. While the immediate provocation behind his post is not known, it has visibly unsettled the state Congress leadership.
Dera chief & Budha Dal head meet, spark buzz
A recent meeting between Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon, chief of Dera Radha Soami Beas, and Baba Balbir Singh, chief of Budha Dal, has become the talking point. Dhillon visited Gurdwara Burj Akali Phoola Singh, the Nihang cantonment, to meet Baba Balbir Singh. A video shows the Baba briefing Dhillon about Budha Dal’s history, mentioning that the Dal chief once served as Akal Takht Jathedar. Dhillon responded: “As per old traditions, Baba ji, the Jathedar of Akal Takht (is there) to keep everything in order.” It comes even as the grapevine says the Jathedar should take all sections of society.
Harpreet Bajwa
Our correspondent in Chandigarh
hsbajwa73@gmail.com