Chandigarh, Feb 28 (IANS) Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar on Saturday said the manner in which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was compelled to visit the state and publicly admonish his own party leaders showed that the Congress high command has lost its influence and that the state leadership has gone rogue.

In a message posted on social media, the BJP state president wrote: “No matter how big you are, be a team player; otherwise, Kharge-ji and I will set you right.”

He said the statement fully explained the purpose of the Congress rally held in Barnala. According to Jakhar, there was neither any agenda for Punjab nor any discussion about farmers or labourers. Instead, it was a desperate attempt by what he termed an ineffective Congress high command, through Rahul Gandhi, to publicly reprimand and force the fragmented Punjab state leadership into unity by issuing a warning.

“However, in doing so, Rahul Gandhi not only turned the state leadership into a subject of public ridicule but also exposed his own weak leadership abilities,” Jakhar said.

He added that for an issue which could have been discussed behind closed doors, the Congress had to organise a rally and publicly lecture its own state leaders. Such a situation, he said, has arisen because the Congress high command has lost control over its state units.

Separately, representatives of the Sheller Association met BJP chief Jakhar and thanked him for taking up the issue of fortified rice with Union Food Supply Minister Prahlad Joshi along with the association.

On the occasion, Jakhar said the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to resolving issues related to farmers and stakeholders linked to the agricultural sector. He said the fulfilment of the main demand of the sheller industry would directly benefit farmers, as the industry processes the paddy produced by them.

He added that the demands of the ‘arhtiyas’ (commission agents) had also been taken up with the Central government and expressed hope that these issues would be resolved meaningfully in the near future.

–IANS

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