Giving the Congress party a big jolt, its senior leader and former Punjab chief Sunil Jakhar said goodbye Saturday noon snapping his long association with the party.
Prior to making this announcement through his Facebook broadcast "Dil ki Baat," Jakhar had removed Congress from all his bios on social media platforms. He did not, however, give any indication of joining any other party.
A three-time former legislator and MP, Sunil Jakhar, 68, is the younger son of veteran parliamentarian Balram Jakhar while his elder brother Sajjan Kumar Jakhar had also been a Punjab minister.
Besides being the leader of the Opposition in 2012, and party state president in 2017, Sunil, was one of the tallest Hindu leaders of Congress in Punjab. His nephew Sandeep Jakhar is currently Congress MLA from the Abohar seat.
Jakhar was, nonetheless, having frozen ties with the Congress since the past about a month after he was removed from the 'all-party post' for his alleged anti-party activities about a month ago by the party’s Central leadership.
Terming the ongoing Congress "Chintan Shivir" (brainstorming session) in Udaipur (Rajasthan) as a "farce," Sunil said that instead of "Chintan Shivir," it should have been "Chinta Shivir" to contemplate ways to save the party.
He targeted Ambika Soni for misguiding the Congress president and Rahul Gandhi not on only Punjab affairs, but also on other states and alleged that the Congress leaders sitting in Delhi ruined the party in Punjab.
Flagging her statement on the “repercussions of having a Hindu chief minister in Punjab”, Sunil said that its end result was Congress’ humiliating debacle in the February-assembly polls.
He also asked the party high command as to why Soni was not thrown out of the party for her Hindu CM remark. He further targeted Punjab affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary, former state in-charge Harish Rawat and Tariq Anwar.
Praising Rahul Gandhi, Sunil called him a good person and asked him to take the reins of the party into his hands and distance himself from sycophants. "Good luck and goodbye Congress," he said ending his live broadcast.
It may be recalled that Jakhar had been served show-cause notice for his alleged anti-party statements last month though he opted not to respond to it before the anti-disciplinary committee decided to remove him from all-party positions.
He, however, did not hold any position in the party. The action against Sunil Jakhar was taken for his comments against former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Ambika Soni.
