Jaswant Singh Gandam
India Post News Service
PHAGWARA, Punjab: In a political bombshell, Punjab Mahila Congress Vice-President Balbir Rani Sodhi dethroned her bête noire Joginder Singh Mann, former Punjab minister, by getting appointed as new President of Kapurthala District Congress Committee (DCC), during the restructuring of party’s district units in Punjab on January 10th.
Rani Sodhi, also an AICC member, has the enviable distinction of being the first ever woman to be the district congress President of Kapurthala district post-independent.
Balbir Rani Sodhi was given a tumultuous welcome when she returned from Delhi after becoming district President. She was profusely garlanded by her supporters who broke into impromptu ‘Bhangra’ to the beats of ‘dhol’ (drum).
However, her appointment had not gone down well with Mann group. Over a dozen senior Congress leaders belonging to Mann group raised a banner of revolt against her on January 13.
Holding a meeting at nearby Hadiabad sub-town with Sunil Prashar, district General Secretary under Mann’s stewardship, these leaders demanded revocation of her Presidentship and restoration of status quo by reappointing Mann as party’s district chief.
Substantiating, they alleged that Sodhi group was responsible for defeat of Joginder Singh Mann in 2017 assembly polls. They alleged that both Rani Sodhi and her husband Balbir Raja Sodhi had remained in the USA during crucial rural bodies elections.
“It was hard work of Mann that the party had won both the Zila Parishad seats as well as two thirds of panchayats in Phagwara in the recently held polls”, they claimed.
They asked PPCC President Sunil Jakhar, Punjab CM Captain Amrinder Singh and party high command to immediately cancel Rani Sodhi’s appointment and restore status quo for sake of party’s existence in Phagwara in particular and Kapurthala district in general.
