Punjab Cong has turned into a party for rich: rebel leader

Congress leader Tejpreet Singh Sandhu claimed that Congress state president Amarinder Singh had no time to meet "sincere party activists who had been working for the party for more than two decades".

"I have been running pillar to post to meet Congress state president but he has time only for the industrialists and the rich members of the party," Sandhu said.

He alleged that Singh was avoiding meeting him on the behest of former Congress Irrigation Minister Gurchet Singh Bhullar, who had lost his seat from Khemkaran constituency twice in a row against SAD candidate Virsa Singh Valthoa.

Sandhu accused Bhullar of spreading rumours about him and accusing him for Bhullar's defeat in the recent assembly elections in February 2012.

Sandhu said Bhullar was spreading rumours that he had been expelled from the party for a period of six years although none of the office bearers including the party president had confirmed his expulsion.

He said he will return the 'tamrapatra' awarded to his grandfather Jaswant Singh for his contribution to India's freedom struggle conferred by the late Prime Minister Indra Gandhi if party High Command Sonia Gandhi doesn't come forward to clarify his present status in the Congress fold.

Meanwhile, reacting to the allegations, Bhullar said that Sandhu was involved in anti-party activities during assembly elections and had close proximity with SAD candidate Valthoa and therefore the party had decided to expel him from the fold for a period of six years.