Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday praised the revamp of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial contradicting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who had called it an “insult to martyrs”.
Meanwhile, AICC general secretary Harish Rawat on Tuesday reached Chandigarh to meet party leaders and listen to their grievances amid the infighting in the Punjab Congress.
Amarinder Singh said the revamped Jallianwala Bagh memorial structure “looked very nice” hours after Rahul Gandhi’s statement. He, however, said he does not know what has been removed from the complex during the renovation of the memorial.
Prime Minister Narendra Mod had digitally dedicated the renovated complex of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial to the nation on August 28. Punjab Chief Minister Singh too had attended the function through video conference.
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“I only can tell you that I do not know what has been removed but what I saw on that night, I also spoke that night. To me it looked very nice,” Singh told the media here.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi had termed the revamp of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial an "insult to martyrs", saying only a person who does not know the meaning of martyrdom can inflict such an insult.
Taking to Twitter, the former Congress chief tagged a media report on the outrage on social media over the alleged changes at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial complex with many claiming that it was "destroying history" in the name of a makeover.
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Gandhi's attack had come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dedicated to the nation the renovated complex of Jallianwala Bagh memorial.
Meanwhile, the Congress's Punjab affairs in-charge, Rawat, who reached Chandigarh Tuesday evening said there was no dispute in the party’s state unit and there was only one camp which is the Congress camp.
If there is an issue, it is his job to address the same, said Rawat.
Talking to the media, Rawat said he will meet whoever wants to meet him.
“Whoever wants to meet me I am available for him,” he said.
He said he will also try to meet the chief minister on Wednesday, adding that he will be here till Thursday.
Rawat said the Congress is not like the BJP where there was “no democracy”.
His visit follows days after the party's state unit plunged into another crisis after four ministers, belonging to the camp of PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and a dozen party leaders raised a banner of revolt against Chief Minister Amarinder Singh over the issue of unfulfilled poll promises.
Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Charanjit Singh Channi and three party legislators, who wanted Amarinder Singh to be replaced, had gone to Dehradun to meet Rawat on August 25.
To a question on MLA Pargat Singh, Rawat said if the Jalandhar Cantt legislator needs any information, he would convey it to him.
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Pargat Singh had said Rawat should explain when the decision of fighting the 2022 assembly polls under the leadership of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was taken.
After Rawat arrived in Chandigarh, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu, working presidents Kuljit Nagra, Pawan Goel and PPCC general secretary Pargat Singh met him.
After meeting Sidhu, he said the Punjab unit's organisational structure will be set up and Sidhu assured him that the whole process will be geared up in the next fifteen days.
With just a few months left for Punjab assembly polls, the internal squabbling within the party's state unit was far from over even after Sidhu was appointed the Punjab Pradesh Congress president.
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Rawat on Saturday had met Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and briefed him about the situation in the state.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal Daljit Singh Cheema took exception to Rawat’s alleged 'Panj Pyaras' remarks and demanded an apology from him.
(PTI inputs)
