New Delhi: The Congress removing Manish Tewari and Ghulam Nabi Azad, the two leaders among 'G-23' rebels, from its star campaigner list while Punjab elections are just days away has gathered criticism, NDTV reported. However, two others in the G-23 faction, Anand Sharma and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, were retained on the list.
Tewari responded through a sarcastic tweet that he would have been pleasantly surprised if it had happened the other way round. He added that the reasons for the removal are not state secrets.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhijith Mukherjee, former President of India and erstwhile Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee's son, had tweeted that the affairs in Congress in Punjab is in a sad state. He wondered how Congress could remove senior leader and MP from Punjab, Tewari, from the campaigner list when Punjab was heading towards polls. He, who joined TMC last year, opined that it was too narrow-minded by Congress.
Abhijeet, called Tewari one of the finest parliamentarians, addressed him that people's votes are only the answer to Congress' bipartisan mentality. Tewari will always remain indomitable, he said.
Tewari, the only Hindu leader in the party in Punjab, and Azad had written to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in 2020 for an overhaul in the ranks of the party with urgent reforms. Azad was on Congress' bull's eye after receiving Padma Bhushan, but he is on the campaigner list to Uttarakhand.
Earlier, Congress had released a star campaigner list for Uttarakhand, in which Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was included, while Navjot Singh Sidhu wasn't. Severe infighting in Punjab Congress last year had led to Amarinder Singh's exit from the party. The party will most likely announce its chief ministerial candidate by tomorrow.