Amarinder Singh slams appointment of Maken as Congress screening committee chairman

Former Punjab Chief Minister and founder of the Punjab Lok Congress, Captain Amarinder Singh, has criticised the party's decision to appoint Ajay Maken as the Chairman of the Screening Committee for Congress candidates, underlining the latter's relationship to 1984 riot accused Lalit Maken.

Chandigarh: Captain Amarinder Singh, the founder of Punjab Lok Congress Party and former Punjab Chief Minister, has questioned the party's decision to give responsibility to Ajay Maken for screening of Congress candidates in Punjab.

Singh today condemned the appointment of Ajay Maken by the Congress High Command as the Chairman of the Screening Committee for the selection of candidates for the forthcoming Assembly elections. In a statement, Singh said that Ajay Maken is the nephew of Lalit Maken, one of the main culprits of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. There could not have been a bigger wrong decision than the Congress choosing Ajay Maken for this responsibility, according to Captain.

"In such a scenario where the Union Government is moving towards punishing a criminal Sajjan Kumar, on the other hand the Congress is rewarding the Makans with posts and also for Punjab where this action is like sprinkling salt on the wounds of Punjabis", said Captain Amarinder Singh.

The former chief minister emphasised that the Congress party should have avoided promoting the name of a person like Maken whose uncle's name could have been involved in anti-Sikh riots.'

He said Ajay Maken's appointment can be a reason for revolt in Punjab due to his uncle's involvement in the riots. In addition, Maken is not only qualified to be the head of the screening committee, but also senior leaders like Mrs Ambika Soni and Mr Sunil Jakhar have been placed under Maken. He said that Maken had played a pivotal role in two of Congress' major defeats in the Delhi Assembly elections.

The former CM noted that the man who wiped out the Congress in Delhi has now been given the responsibility of Punjab, and further reflected that in such a scenario one can predict the future of the party in the state.