Not joining SAD, claims Cong’s Soni

Congress leader and four time MLA O P Soni in a press statement on Thursday accused SAD and BJP leaders of spreading false rumours that he was going to join the SAD. Soni's statement comes at a time when the Congress has been facing a setback, with several Congress leaders having switched loyalties to the SAD recently.

Soni said the rumours were totally baseless and that he was a Congress soldier and would continue to be with the Congress forever. He spoke about the long association that his family had had with the Congress party. Soni said his father had been with the Congress for over 50 years and his nephew was serving as the Youth Congress president for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat.

He also blamed his opponents "within the Congress party" for the rumour. "More than anyone else, my opponents within my own party are spreading false rumours that I am going to join the SAD," he said.

Soni said the Congress leaders who had switched loyalties had been "coerced" by the SAD to join the party.

Amritsar District President (Urban) of Congress Jugal Kishore Sharma too echoed similar views.

"It is due to threat that the Congress leaders are joining SAD. Repoll at ward number 3 has no relevance now since Congress candidate Surinder Chaudhary and party rebel Dinesh Kumar have been made to join SAD," Sharma alleged.

On the other hand, the SAD has been claiming that the incoming Congress leaders have been joining the SAD impressed bythe party's "ideology and development agenda".

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