Captain Amarinder slams Congress over Ajay Maken's appointment to screen Punjab candidates
Highlights
- Congress appointed Ajay Maken as Chairman of screening committee to shortlist candidates.
- Amarinder Singh slammed the party over the decision.
- He said Maken wasn't qualified enough to head the committee with veteran leaders like Ambika Soni.
The Punjab Congress on Tuesday appointed leader Ajay Maken as the Chairman of the screening committee for shortlisting candidates in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in the state. The move was not welcomed by former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, as he slammed Congress over Maken's appointment. In a statement, Amarinder Singh said Maken is the nephew of (late) Lalit Maken, who was one of the main culprits of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi.
"The Congress could not have nominated a worst person than Maken for the job as while on the one hand the Central government is moving ahead with the prosecution of another culprit, Sajjan Kumar, while the Congress is rewarding the Makens and that too in Punjab, thus rubbing salt into Punjabis' wounds", said Amarinder.
"The Congress party should have avoided naming someone like Maken, as the name itself draws derision and revulsion in Punjab for the involvement of his late uncle in the anti-Sikh riots where innocent victims were burnt alive to death," he further said.
He said even otherwise Maken was not qualified enough to head the screening committee with veteran leaders like Ambika Soni and Sunil Jakhar being kept under him.
"After ensuring that the Congress got zero seats in two successive elections in Delhi in 2014 and 2019, he has now been dispatched to ensure that same feat is achieved in Punjab as well," Amarinder Singh said, adding this clearly indicates the party has admitted defeating before the elections by appointing a failed politician, who lost 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, losing even his deposit in the Vidhan Sabha.
The Punjab assembly elections are slated for early 2022. Amarinder Singh on Monday floated a new party Punjab Lok Congress to contest the elections and inaugurated the party office in Chandigarh.
(With IANS Inputs)
