After some of its leaders crossed over to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Punjab Congress is set to pay back the favour. Known faces from AAP and even Shiromani Akali Dal are set to join the Congress this week.
Among these politicians are SAD’s Deepinder Singh Dhillon and Harry Mann and former AAP leader Punjabi singer Balkar Sidhu. Dhillon and Mann are actually making a comeback in the Congress. Sources said that while Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh will announce induction of Dhillon and Mann at a press conference on Monday, Sidhu will join the party fold on Tuesday. Besides, possibility of some more prominent faces, including Punjabi artists, being brought into the Congress is also being discussed.
When contacted, Sidhu told TOI that he was not happy with the way AAP had scrapped his candidature for the Talwandi Sabo byelection last year and he had not been active in the party since. He had, in fact, fought the byelection against AAP as a rebel candidate. Sidhu, said sources, has already held two meetings with Amarinder over the last week ahead of a formal announcement. Popular as Harry Mann, former information commissioner Harinder Pal Singh Mann had resigned from the post on Friday. There is already talk of Harry being a probable for the Congress ticket from Samana constituency as the party does not have a claimant there after Jagtar Singh Rajla quit to join AAP.
Before joining SAD, he was the general secretary of the Punjab Youth Congress between 1980 and 1985. He had quit the Congress because he was never given a ticket and revolted in 2012. He is a known to be close to former Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa, who is believed to have facilitated his comeback.
Mann said that he had quit SAD five years back when he took over as information commissioner. “I have held responsible positions in the Congress and wish to contribute more to the party,” he said.
Dhillon had unsuccessfully fought the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Patiala on SAD ticket and had been lying low since. He had switched to SAD after he was expelled from the Congress before the assembly election in 2012 after he announced to contest as an independent from Dera Bassi against the party’s official nominee Jasjeet Singh Randhawa.
Meanwhile, SAD, on Sunday had expelled its two leaders from the party but many in the party felt it was a mere formality. The Congress was taken unawares when its leaders joined AAP last month and this was followed by the party leadership making efforts to keep the flock together.