Pawan Kumar Bansal versus Navjot Sidhu: Groupism in Congress comes to fore

CHANDIGARH: Once again groupism in Chandigarh Congress comes to fore when high drama witnessed outside Chandigarh Congress Bhawan, Sector 35, on Friday afternoon.


The supporters of Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of Punjab minister Navjot Sidhu, gathered at Congress Bhawan for International Women’s Day celebrations and found the gate locked. They alleged that their entry to Congress Bhawan was stopped on the directions of former MP

Pawan Kumar Bansal

and Chandigarh Congress president Pardeep Chhabra.

Poonam Sharma, former mayor and supporter of Dr Navjot Kaur, gathered at Congress Bhawan along with party workers, for the programme at around 3 pm. They had planned to honour Navjot Kaur Sidhu on the occasion. Poonam Sharma claimed that they had informed party president Pardeep Chhabra about the programme well in advance and it was surprising that gate was locked.

To mark their protest, they even held ‘kirtan’ outside Congress Bhawan for more than two hours.

On the other hand, Pardeep Chhabra, when contacted said, “Nobody intimated me about the programme. Moreover, four candidates have applied for Congress ticket from Chandigarh. If I allow one candidate (Navjot Kaur) to conduct such programmes, then others will also demand the same. The gates were locked to avoid confrontation.”

Meanwhile, despite repeated attempts, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu could not be contacted. However, her personal staff told the media that she was unwell.

Last month, the Pradesh Election Committee of the Chandigarh Congress had unanimously recommended former union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s name for the party ticket for the city

Lok Sabha

seat.

Total four party leaders including Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, Manish Tewari, Pawan Kumar Bansal and Savita Sisodia had applied for the party ticket for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat.

The majority of office bearers of Chandigarh Congress are from Bansal’s camp, the leaders who were left out in the party’s organisational set up in the city had sided with Tewari and Sidhu’s camp.

On Republic Day too, Bansal, Tewari and Dr Sidhu had held different public meetings in city.