PATIALA – Anandpur Sahib member of Parliament (MP) and senior Akali leader Prem Singh Chandumajra on Monday claimed that there was no dynastic politics in the party, even as he held a show of strength in areas falling under the Sanaur assembly segment to boost the poll prospectus of his son Harinder Pal Chandumajra, who was recently appointed the halqa (constituency) in-charge.
His move to address workers’ meeting in Bahadurgarh and Davigarh along with his son and loyalists is also seen as an attempt to curb possible dissidence in the constituency ahead of the assembly elections after the party shunted out Tejinder Singh Sandhu to accommodate Chandumajra’s 34-year-old son.
Sandhu (55), son of old party guard in the Patiala region late Jasdev Singh Sandhu, has yet not reacted to latest political development as he is said to be out of the country. He had unsuccessfully contested the 2012 assembly elections from Sanaur and was the party’s halqa in-charge since then.
“I won my first assembly election from this area (earlier Dakala) in 1985 and people here will again repose their faith on us,” he added.
All senior party leaders from the region, including cabinet minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, were present when the father-son duo paid obeisance at Patiala’s Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib before addressing the media.
He said there was no opposition within the party as the decision was taken on merit. The party held a thorough survey on the ground before appointing his son. “It was also proved in several meetings on Monday when people in large number gave us rousing welcome,” added Chandumajra.
In a candid manner, he also did not leave the opportunity to share his proximity with the constituency saying that he remained connected with area residents throughout his political life, even as he moved out from here years ago.
He also ruled out the impact of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab politics saying that its convener Arvind Kejirwal has exposed himself in Delhi where people were crying for water and power shortage.
Endorsing the party decision, Rakhra said SAD would field more young faces in time to come. Both the appointments, including that of Satbir Singh Khatra as the in-charge of the Patiala rural assembly segment, was a step in this direction, he added
Asked for comments on the growing discontentment in the Tohra family after removal of Kuldeep Kaur, daughter of former Akali stalwart late Gurcharan Singh Tohra to accommodate Khatra, Chandumajra, who is also party’s general secretary, said there was no disrespect to Tohra’s legacy. “Gurcharan Singh Tohra did not belong to a single family. He was Panth Rattan and entire Sikh community was his family,” he added.
