A year after serving her show-cause notice for not campaigning for party candidates in Punjab Assembly elections, Congress on Friday suspended former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's wife and Lok Sabha member from Patiala, Preneet Kaur for allegedly "indulging in anti-party activities to help Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)".
According to an official handout issued by the party Preneet Kaur was indulging in anti-party activities to help the BJP. Kaur has been given three days to show cause as to why she should not be expelled from the party
In a notice issued to Patial MP, the committee mentioned that they have received a complaint from Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. It also added that some other senior leaders from the party also shared the same view of Warring.
"Congress president has received a complaint from Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, president, PCC Punjab alleging that Preneet Kaur, MP (Lok Sabha) from Patiala is indulging in anti-party activities to help BJP. Some other senior Congress leaders of Punjab also share this", the release read.
According to the release issued by Tariq Anwar, the complaint was referred to the Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) of the AICC for necessary action. The DAC carefully considered it and decided that Preneet Kaur, MP (Lok Sabha) from Patiala should be suspended from the party with immediate effect and she has been called upon to show cause within three days as to why she should not be expelled from the Party" it further added.
Preneet Kaur wants Congress to suspend her from the party
During the 2022 Assembly elections in Punjab, Preneet Kaur supported candidates of the Punjab Lok Congress-a party floated by her husband Captain Amarinder Singh.
Sources said Preneet wants the party should take action as her suspension from the party will save her Lok Sabha membership. And the party doesn't want to do that. The party didn't act even as Preneet didn't reply to the show-cause notice served on her for anti-party activities in December 2021.
Congress leadership was waiting that Preneet should leave the party on her own so that her membership in the Lok Sabha also ends with her resignation.
The Congress had served her a show-cause notice when she supported the Patiala councillors who had sided with Captain Amarinder in 2021. At that time, Preneet had said that she was with her family.
Former Union minister Preneet Kaur is the wife of former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who was ousted from the party and later joined the BJP. Captain Amarinder officially resigned from the Congress party in November 2021.
Capt Amarinder Singh joined BJP in September 2022
Veteran leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh joined the BJP on September 19, 2022.
Capt Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress had contested the Punjab Assembly elections held in February 2022 as an alliance partner of the BJP. Although the newly floated party failed to get any seat in the House of 117, the Punjab Lok Congress secured respectable votes in some constituencies of the state.
Sunil Jakhar- another stalwart of Punjab Congress, former Punjab Congress Committee (PCC), and a loyalist of Capt. Amarinder Singh had already joined BJP on May 20, 2022.
