Gill's elevation irks Congress

CHANDIGARH: The decision of Congress High Command to elevate yet another Rajya Sabha member MS Gill as minister in the Union cabinet has caused consternation among Punjab Congress leaders, who feel that a representation should have been given to Lok Sabha.
But given the party's culture, none of the state leaders have come out openly against the decision.However, they feel alienated from Punjab ministers in the union cabinet as they have little interaction with them.
Besides PM Manmohan Singh, who is a Punjabi but has been elected to Rajya Sabha from Assam, three others in the union cabinet elected to upper house are from Punjab.
These are union cabinet minister for tourism and culture Ambika Soni, the minister of state (independent charge) youth affairs and minister of state (MoS) for industrial policy & promotion and commerce and industry Ashwani Kumar.
Of seven Rajya Sabha members from Punjab, three are from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and four, from the Congress of these, three are ministers and the left out is Dharmpal Sabharwal. The Punjab Congress leaders reportedly consider all the three ministers - Soni, Gill and Kumar - as paratroopers in Punjab politics.
All three are non-resident Punjabi (NRP) and have settled in Delhi for decades. While Soni unsuccessfully contested elections from Chandigarh once and that too as non-Congress candidate, Kumar and Gill have never contested any Lok Sabha or assembly polls.
Kumar's claim to fame in Punjab is his illustrious father, late Prabodh Chander, who had been very active in state politics. Kumar himself has been practising in Supreme Court for decades. Gill is a new entrant to politics and was elected to Rajya Sabha for the first time after retiring as chief election commissioner. These are the precise arguments of Punjab Congress leaders against these union ministers representing Punjab.
Regarding Gill, the Congress leaders point out that he managed the party ticket three years ago even without the recommendation of state unit. Since Gill had been principal secretary to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal during his second stint in later 1970s, the Congressmen suspect his absolute loyalty to party.
Moreover, the main grudge of Congress leaders is that these Rajya Sabha members rarely attend meetings of Punjab Congress Committee and take little interest in the party's affairs. Congress workers in the state fail to identify themselves with these leaders as they had never been active in the state politics.
They alleged that Soni has become a frequent visitor to the state as she is eyeing the Lok Sabha poll, which she intends to contest from Punjab. Punjab Congress leaders feel that the Lok Sabha members have lost in race to ministerial berths because of infighting.
The elevation of Preneet Kaur, the wife of former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, would have been perceived as a rebuff to Punjab Congress chief Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who is constantly at daggers drawn with Amarinder Singh. Rana Gurjit Singh, who was once close to Amarinder Singh, is considered neutral.