Jagmeet Brar challenges CM to contest against Badal

Chandigarh, Nov 23 (UNI) The differences between senior Congressman Jagmeet Singh Brar and Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today came to the fore as Mr Brar dared the CM to contest against Akali stalwart Parkash Singh Badal in the ensuing assembly polls.

''If Capt Singh is the grandson of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh then let him contest from Lambi to show his might against the Badals,'' Mr Brar, a Congress Working Committee member, said at a press conference here.

''The demand of several Congressmen in the state to field Capt Singh against Mr Badal has become an issue now and this issue will continue till the day of polling,'' Mr Brar said.

This issue, he said, would help the Congress to win and the Congress high command would have to seriously think on this aspect if the party had to retain power in the state.

When asked whether he would like to contest the assembly election against Mr Badal, Mr Brar said if Congress president Ms Sonia Gandhi and the party high command have decided so then he would definitely contest against the Akali stalwart.

He said the Congressmen from Lambi, Malout, Gidderbaha and Muktsar assembly segments had unanimously passed a resolution demanding to field Capt Singh against Mr Badal and its copy has been handed over to Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Shamsher Singh Dullo.

When asked whether he wanted Capt Singh as a chief ministerial candidate as well in case the chief minister was fielded against Mr Badal, Mr Brar said it has been a tradition in the Congress that the PPCC chief would be the next chief minister.

''Capt Singh has been the PPCC president before becoming the chief minister,'' Mr Brar pointed out.

Mr Brar reiterated that Mr Dullo, who represented the scheduled caste community, should be the next chief minister of Punjab as the state inhabited largest number of scheduled castes in the country.

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