Congress Doesn't Even Have Candidates for All Seats, Yet Raja Warring Is Dreaming About AAP MLAs: Baltej PannU
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Media In-Charge Baltej Pannu on Friday strongly criticised Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, accusing him of making fabricated claims about AAP legislators to divert public attention from the growing infighting, confusion and leadership crisis within the Punjab Congress. He said the Congress leadership was preoccupied with internal power struggles instead of addressing issues concerning the people of Punjab.
Addressing a press conference, AAP Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu said Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had rightly predicted that as the 2027 Assembly elections approach, opposition parties would lose their political balance. “The statements and social media posts being issued by Congress leaders clearly reflected the deep divisions within the party. The situation in the Punjab Congress has deteriorated to such an extent that its leaders are busy fighting each other instead of raising public issues. Every statement and tweet coming from Congress leaders only exposes their internal conflict,” he said.
Rejecting Raja Warring’s claim that 40 to 45 AAP MLAs were in touch with the Congress, Baltej Pannu termed it a fabricated story aimed at diverting attention from the turmoil within the Congress. “Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa had earlier claimed that 30 to 35 MLAs were in contact with him, but later shifted his focus to allegations that even municipal councillors were being poached from the Congress,” he added.
“If Raja Warring’s figures are added to Bajwa’s claims, the Congress would already have enough numbers to form the government. It raises a simple question. If they have so many members with them, why didn’t the Congress form its own government? These contradictory statements only expose the confusion and desperation prevailing within the party,” he said.
Questioning the credibility of the Congress leadership, Baltej Pannu said the party had repeatedly failed to prevent its own senior leaders from joining the BJP. He asked Raja Warring whether he knew when former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh established ties with the BJP, when Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon left the Congress, when former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal switched sides, or when former Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu joined the BJP. “A party that failed to notice its own senior leaders leaving for the BJP has no moral authority to speculate about AAP legislators,” he said.
Taking another swipe at the Congress, Baltej Pannu challenged Raja Warring to first announce candidates for all Assembly constituencies before making claims about the AAP. “The Congress doesn’t even have enough strong candidates to contest all Assembly seats, yet its leaders are dreaming of forming the next government,” he said.
Highlighting the leadership crisis within the Congress, Baltej Pannu asserted that more than a dozen leaders were aspiring to become the party’s chief ministerial face.
Referring to posters of senior Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi that reportedly omitted the Congress name, election symbol and central leadership, Baltej Pannu said these developments clearly reflected the intense power struggle within the party.
Concluding, the AAP Punjab State Media In-charge advised Raja Warring to focus on saving what remained of the Congress instead of making imaginary claims about the AAP. “The people of Punjab have already made up their minds to give the Bhagwant Singh Mann-led AAP government another term. While the Congress remains consumed by internal battles and leadership ambitions, the AAP government continues to work for the welfare and development of the people,” he said.
