New Delhi, April 4 (IANS) Congress MP from Ludhiana, Ravneet Singh Bittu, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, sparking a buzz in Punjab Congress which recently faced a humiliating defeat in the Assembly elections which were swept by the Aam Aadmi Party.
"Today I met the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Sh. @narendramodi ji and discussed issues of Punjab," Bittu tweeted.
While Congress leaders restrained from commenting on the meeting, sources close to Bittu said that there was nothing much in the meeting which was a courtesy call. However, recent instances of Congress leaders leaving the party have triggered speculation of another Congressman desetring the party.
Bittu met the Prime Minister just a day ahead of the meeting of the Congress legislative party.
Bittu is the grandson of Beant Singh, former Chief Minister of Punjsb who was assasinated by terrorists in 1995.
Ever since the Congress chose to appoint Charanjit Singh Channi as the Chief Minister of Punjab months before the Assembly elections last year, all is not well in the party.
Due to the internal rift in the party, Congress faced massive defeat in the elections.
Bittu belongs to the camp which was more aligned to former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Wednesday announced that they will continue the peaceful protest here and will not obstruct any official day to day activities. He said that farmers across the state will continue the agitation on the lines of ongoing protests at the Delhi borders.
The drug money is allegedly linked with the seizure of 17 kg heroin, which was recovered by the police in Amritsar (Rural) on August 26 after arresting Ranjit Singh, alias Sonu.
The demands included an FIR and strict action against SDM Ayush Sinha, who on August 28 instructed the police to beat the protesting farmers. A video-clip of Sinha ordering the force to smash the farmers' heads had stirred a row after it went viral on social media.
Amid farmers protest in Karnal, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said on Wednesday that the government should avoid confrontation with the farmers and find amicable solution. He said confrontation is not good as farmers have every right to protest peacefully for their demands.
This agreement would set an institutional mechanism for partnership and cooperation between India and Portugal on sending and accepting Indian workers and a Joint Committee will be set up to follow up the implementation of the same.
These internal differences notwithstanding, the Taliban are reaching out to regional/global powers underlining their desire to build "good relations" with the neighbouring countries, especially China which has "always contributed" to the Afghan economy, as well as with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, India and Uzbekistan.