Within a week of his appointment as a secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), a youth leader Rohit Sabharwal’s appointment has been cancelled under the pressure from senior leaders of Congress party.

Sabharwal had been first sacked from the party a day before the Lok Sabha elections this year on the charges of indulging in the anti-party activities by burning the effigy of party candidate and now Ludhiana MP Manish Tewari. At that time Sabharwal was holding a portfolio of organising secretary in the party. But interestingly, on July 10 this year Sabharwal had been appointed as Secretary, PPCC, by PPCC president Mohinder Singh Kaypee vide letter number 458/09.

But within days of issuance of this letter, the PPCC president Kaypee cancelled Sabharwal’s appointment yesterday vide letter number 466/09. Both letters had been signed by Tarlochan Singh, general secretary, PPCC on behalf of PPCC president.

Interestingly, while the cancellation letter issued yesterday stated that the appointment of Sabharwal as secretary PPCC has been cancelled, the press release issued by the PPCC office, Chandigarh, itself contradicted by saying that Sabharwal “stands expelled from the party hence there was no question of his being appointed as the PCC secretary.”

Meanwhile some insiders in Congress revealed that Sabharwal’s new appointment had been cancelled under the pressure from some senior party leaders who felt embarrassed that despite burning the party candidate’s effigy in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, Sabharwal had not only been reinstated in the party but had been given an important post of secretary PPCC.

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