Former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar on Saturday said he is quitting the party, asserting that party was facing existential crises and yet no intent is seen to save the party from the mess.
Amid the party’s three-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, Mr. Jhakkar announced his decision on Facebook. “Good luck and goodbye to Congress party,” he said.
He said the ongoing party’s ‘Chintan Shivir’ is nothing more than a mere formality and he is unhopeful of any constructive outcome from the programme. He said the party ‘high command’ was surrounded by certain group of sycophants and they were calling shots.
Asserting that the party would not survive without the ‘Gandhi’ family, Mr. Jakhar said party president Sonia Gandhi and former president Rahul Gandhi need to recognise and understand their good and bad and be decisive by taking control in their hands.
“Please take control of the situation in your hand. Please recognise your friends and foes. If you can’t recognise friends and foes then at least recognise assets and liabilities,” Mr. Jakhar appealed.
Coming out firmly in support of Mr. Jakhar, former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu said that the party should not loose Mr. Jakhar.
“The congress should not loose Sunil Jakhar.. Is an asset worth his weight in gold..Any differences can be resolved on the table,” said Mr. Sidhu in a tweet.
The Congress party had recently announced to remove Mr. Jakhar from all positions in the party following the party’s disciplinary committee recommendations. Mr. Jakhar said that his ailing
Mr. Jakhar had criticised former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and termed him a liability for the party after the Congress lost the Punjab Assembly polls to the Aam Aadmi Party.
Accusing Mr. Jakhar of using objectionable language against Mr. Channi and Scheduled Caste community during a TV interview, some leaders including former minister Raj Kumar Verka had also demanded action.
Earlier in February, hours before the announcement of party’s chief ministerial candidate in Punjab, Mr. Jakhar had announced his quitting from active electoral politics. “There are some colleagues in the party with whom it has become difficult to go along, and hence I am quitting. I had enough. But I am very much part and parcel of the Congress party. Whatever duties the party gives me, I’ll perform. It’s only active electoral politics that I am quitting,” Mr. Jakhar had stated.
