Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
BJP asks, why Congress Campaign Committee chief Jakhar quit in midst of electoral battle
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, February 9, 2022: The Bharatiya Janata Party today cornered the ruling Congress party over the quitting of active politics by its Campaign Committee Chief, Sunil Jakhar amid the election campaign when elections are just a few days away.
“Jakhar has announced having quit the active politics”, Union Minister and BJP in-charge for Punjab, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, while adding,” this was primarily because he was refused the Chief Ministership of Punjab for being a Hindu, something that, from his admission, has hurt him badly”.
“At the same time, let us make the record straight that majority of the Sikh MLAs had supported Jakhar for Chief Ministership, but the Congress high command chose not to appoint him because he was a Hindu”, he remarked, while adding, “the fault does not lie with the people of Punjab, but the Congress high command, which is trying to divide people along the communal lines.
“The issue is not whom you are appointing the Chief Minister, albeit out of compulsion only, the real issue is that you have denied Chief Ministership to someone just because he is a Hindu and telling it to him so bluntly, irrespective of generations of association and contribution of his family towards the party”, Shekhawat observed.
He said, while the Congress already stands exposed and out of the race in Punjab with its “commander” (the Campaign Committee chief) having quit in the midst of the battle, the party owes an explanation to the people of Punjab in general and their own party workers in particular as to why Jakhar was forced to quit active politics.
The union minister pointed out, Jakhar has repeatedly been referring to the denial of Chief Ministership to him just for being a Hindu, despite having been supported by 42 of the 77 MLAs after Capt Amarinder Singh was made to resign.
The senior BJP leader advised the particular section of Congress leaders and workers that they should introspect and seriously consider where they stood in a party that treats them as second-class citizens.
“You must remember that no matter how popular you are, how successful you are, how hardworking you are and how committed you are, your Chief Ministerial dreams and doors will always remain slammed on you, as has been made clear by the Congress party led the way it treated Jakhar”, he told the Congress leaders and workers, adding, “the time has come for all of you to make right choices and right decisions”.