Amarinder reaches out to 'sulking' Mohinder Kaypee

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Monday reached out to former MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee, who has been sulking over denial of party ticket from the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat. After reaching Jalandhar, Singh spent time with Kaypee and his family members at his residence in Model Town.

Singh, accompanied by Kaypee and Congress nominee and sitting MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary, proceeded to the district administrative complex for filing of the nomination papers of Chaudhary from the Jalandhar (reserve) seat. Kaypee had earlier expressed resentment over denial of ticket from the Jalandhar seat. He had even threatened to contest as independent candidate. The Congress has given ticket to sitting MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary from Jalandhar seat again.

The former Punjab Congress unit chief had also visited Delhi twice to hold meetings with the party high command. Several Congress leaders, including Cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, MLA Raj Kumar Verka and Pargat Singh had approached him to mollify him for supporting the party candidate.

"Accompanied @sschaudharymp (Chaudhary) today for filing of his nomination papers as INCPunjab candidate from Jalandhar parliamentary seat. Happy to see the great response from the crowds here in support of INCIndia (sic)," the chief minister tweeted. He also shared pictures of his visit to Kaypee's house, hugging the former MP and filling nomination papers of Chaudhary.

"He (Kaypee) is a senior leader, an old Congressman who will be campaigning wholeheartedly for the party," Amarinder Singh said, rejecting any anger on the part of the ex-MP. Cabinet minister Sunder Sham Arora and ex-minister Rana Gurjeet Singh also accompanied the chief minister, along with party workers and supporters.

With Monday's nomination papers being filed, the Congress had given a further impetus to its Mission13, the chief minister said, adding that the pace would be enhanced with two nominations being filed per day beginning April 23. There has been resentment among some Congress leaders and workers over the allotment of tickets for Sangrur, Hoshiarpur and Anandpur Sahib seats.

On the Sangrur seat, Jaswinder Dhiman, son of Amargarh MLA Jagjit Singh Dhiman was upset over the denial of ticket. The Congress has given ticket to Amarinder Singh's close aide Kewal Singh Dhillon from Sangrur. Former union minister Santosh Chaudhary was also upset over denial of ticket from Hoshiarpur from where the Congress has nominated MLA Raj Kumar Chabbewal.

The Congress's representatives of other backward classes (OBCs) were also against the ticket given to Manish Tewari from Anandpur Sahib seat and had been demanding ticket to OBC candidate. On the occasion, Advocate Gulshan Sharma, who had contested on AAP ticket from Jalandhar North in the 2017 assembly polls, joined the Congress.

Amarinder Singh welcomed him into the party with the confidence that he would help fPB-AMARINDER-KAYPEE rther strengthen the Congress in Jalandhar. PTI CHS VSD KJ