Cong-PPP leaders accuse SAD of spoiling their rally plans

BATHINDA: The election rally to be addressed by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at Bathinda on the last day of electioneering on April 28 might run into rough weather. The party has selected the same venue where BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is to address a rally for SAD candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday. The district administration had first denied permission to Congress for rally at the same venue.
Later, it relented and granted permission to Congress for holding the rally. However, getting the vacant venue on time is turning out to be the biggest concern for the party. The firm, which is erecting the tent for Modi rally, has declined to offer its services for Congress event after agreeing to it initially. The tent house owner expressed his inability to clear the venue till April 28, virtually leaving no time for Congress to get another firm to set up the tent. Congress and People's Party of Punjab (PPP), which have jointly put up Manpreet Singh Badal as their candidate from Bathinda, have accused SAD leaders, especially party chief Sukhbir Badal, of putting pressure on tent house owner to refuse his services to them. Sukhbir has, however, refuted the charges.
Modi's rally is being held at the open space in Model Town (Phase III) locality of Bathinda. Congress had obtained approval from Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA), the state agency to whom the land belongs. Congress-PPP workers later asked the tent house owner to provide them the same tent used by SAD-BJP for Modi's rally and handed over an advance of Rs 1 lakh. "After accepting the money, the tent house owner backtracked on his words saying he could not provide us the tent. It looks like he is working under SAD pressure, but we will not let him go back on his words," said PPP secretary general Gurpreet Singh Bhatti.
Tent house owner Nirmal Singh told TOI over phone, "Congress leaders had asked for the tent on Tuesday. We had agreed to it initially but afterwards, we thought that we might not be able to provide our services. I called up local leaders and expressed my inability to arrange the tent. I even told them that the advance money would be refunded."
Earlier, Congress faced the first hurdle on Tuesday evening when deputy commissioner-cum-district electoral officer (DEO) had declined permission to it for the venue saying that it had already been allotted to an independent candidate. When Congress-PPP workers protested, the matter was deferred to Wednesday morning. On Wednesday, Congress-PPP leaders again met the DEO in the presence of election observers and managed to secure permission for the venue, and the independent candidate was asked to move to another place. "The permission has been granted to Congress for the rally and the independent candidate has been asked to move elsewhere," said Bathinda DEO K K Yadav.