Former Delhi minister Arvinder Singh Lovely rejoins Congress

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken and party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala recalled the contribution of Lovely's family to the Congress partys

Former Delhi minister Arvinder Singh Lovely rejoined the Congress on Saturday. He had quit the party in a huff and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nearly a year back. He had also kicked up a storm by alleging that senior Congress leaders were selling party tickets for the civic polls that were to take place then. On Saturday, Lovely said he realised the folly of his ways since ideologically he remained a Congressman.
 
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken and party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala recalled the contribution of Lovely’s family to the Congress party. What they didn’t elaborate on was that Lovely’s father Balwinder Singh had, in 1986, submitted an affidavit to the Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission in favour of the then Delhi Congress leader HKL Bhagat, which helped exonerate the latter of his involvement in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.

 
The episode has been documented in Manoj Mitta and H S Phoolka’s book, When a Tree Shook Delhi. When Lovely was asked how many days he expected to remain in the party, he squirmed, forcing party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala to bring a press conference they were addressing to make the announcement to a quick end.