Overseas Congress seeks 10 seats for NRIs

Chandigarh : Indian Overseas Congress president Vikram Bajwa said today that representatives of the party would meet Punjab Congress chief, Capt Amarinder Singh, soon to seek 10 seats for NRI candidates in the next Assembly elections. Bajwa and Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala’s son Jasjit Singh Barnala came together to make the announcement at a function here today. Jasjit’s presence at the function organised by the Overseas Congress surprised many, as his family was perceived to be siding with the proposed outfit of rebel Akali Manpreet Singh Badal. Jasjit declined to comment whether he would be contesting the next Assembly elections. Overseas Congress president Vikram Bajwa, who addressed a press conference along with Jasjit, claimed that the Overseas Congress had already appealed to the Punjab Congress to allocate 10 seats to NRIs in the next elections. He said he would now be meeting Capt Amarinder Singh in the next two days to hand over a formal request in this regard. “We are optimistic that our demands will be met as the NRIs are important opinion makers and now also have voting rights,” he added. Bajwa said he would also urge Capt Amarinder to constitute a joint Political Action Committee of the Overseas Congress and the Pradesh Congress to give a practical shape to NRI participation in the next Assembly elections. He claimed that the NRIs were deeply swayed by the pro people and dynamic economic policies of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and were eager to lend support to the Congress. Bajwa also claimed that Sikhs abroad were against the concept of Khalistan and that anyone giving such an impression was not speaking out for the community as a whole.