Rift in Punjab Cong intensified amid election campaigning [details]

Ahead of the polling for the crucial Punjab Assembly elections infighting in the ruling Congress is intensified with senior leaders questioning criteria adopted by the leadership for giving party mandates.

A day after former Congress Rajya Sabha member Shamsher Singh Dullo has sought a high-level probe into the distribution of party tickets for the elections, party's Lok Sabha MP Jasbir Singh Gill attacked Congress state incharge Harish Chaudhary for prevailing chaos and anarchy in the party's Punjab unit.

Posting a news report of former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar, Gill tweeted, "the immature, incapable, corrupt people like THUG OF BARMER are responsible for the present mess in Punjab Congress".

Although Gill has not directly mentioned the name of Harish Chaudhary, he made a veiled attack on the party's in-charge in Punjab by using the term "Thug of Barmer".

Harish Chaudhary is a Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from the Baytu constituency of Barmer district in Rajasthan.

Senior Cong leader demands probe into ticket distributions

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Shamsher Singh Dullo has sought a high-level probe into an alleged conspiracy to sideline traditional Congressmen in the distribution of party tickets for the polls.

Dullo, a former Punjab Congress chief, has blamed Harish Chaudhary and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for

"Many staunch Congress leaders were forced to quit the party due to wrong distribution of tickets. Many annoyed leaders at sitting at home", he said.

He cited the examples Congress leaders namely HS Hanspal, Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Raman Behl, Malkit Singh Dakha, Jagmohan Singh Kang, Amrik Dhillon, Joginder Singh Mann, Kewal Dhillon, Harminder Jassi, KK Bawa, Daaman Bajwa, most of whom had joined other parties or were sitting at home in protest. Some of them are contesting as rebel candidates against official party nominees.

He alleged that leaders having links with the mafia have been given Congress mandates and this decision is going to be proved disastrous for the party in elections.

Dullo, however, said that the party high command was kept in the dark and misled about the choice of candidates.

High-command chose CM candidate under compulsion, says Sidhu's daughter

Earlier on Friday, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu's daughter Rabia Kaur stated that an honest person can't be stopped for long.

She was reacting to the party not endorsing his father as the Chief Ministerial face of the state.

Speaking to a news agency, Rabia said that maybe the Congress high command had some compulsion while choosing the Chief Ministerial candidate.