Trinamool Congress enters Punjab politics with Brar as state chief

CHANDIGARH: Mamata Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress is set to make forays into Punjab ahead of the 2017 polls with appointment of former Congress leader and ex-MP Jagmeet Singh Brar as the ad-hoc president of party’s Punjab unit. He has also been entrusted the task of building the party’s organizational structure in other northern states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, for spreading the footprint of Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Brar, who had in September announced unconditional support for AAP, told TOI, “My decision to join TMC is part of a larger initiative to form a national alternative and is after due consultation with AAP.Mamataji will be coming to Punjab in the next fortnight and she would give details of the party’s roadmap.”
Brar is convener of Lok Hit Abhiyan and clarified, “Neither I nor any of my supporters had joined AAP. We had offered our support from outside and had decided not to formally join AAP to avoid any confusion or insecurity among their cadres.”
After making a comeback to the Congress after a gap, Brar was again expelled from the party earlier this year. On Thursday, he said both Mamata and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal would work out the plan for Punjab elections but as of now, it seems that TMC will support AAP in the elections to root out the Congress and the SAD. “Our efforts to rid Punjab of the two parties will continue unconditionally with AAP. There is no scope for difference there,” he said.
Asked if he himself planned to contest the upcoming assembly elections, Brar said it was a decision that will be taken by Mamata and Kejriwal. “Otherwise, I decided to support AAP unconditionally,” he said.
Brar said Mamata was the architect of his tie-up with AAP in September. “I have known her for a long time and admire her work for her state. I attended her oath ceremonies as chief minister of WB. Yes, she has played a significant role in talking to Kejriwal. She knows Punjab and she did push my case. She was the architect of this coming together (of AAP and him) on issues. Now, TMC has given me this responsibility as part of our larger effort to forge a national alternative & work for grassroots.”
There is, however, still no decision about whether Trinamool Congress will be fielding any candidates in the assembly elections or will it only support the AAP candidates. “A detailed campaign plan will be drawn up soon. I will request Mamata ji to visit Punjab and campaign for AAP. Leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal and friends from other parties must come together to give India a solid alternative,” he said.
Brar was expelled from the Congress on April 11, for his statements against the organization. After the Congress’s defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he had suggested that the AICC president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi should go on a sabbatical to introspect the reasons for the party’s worst performance in the elections.