Punjab Cong president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring targets Manpreet Badal for not attending party’s Bathinda event
Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the Congress gave several ‘failed’ politicians a platform to get elected as legislators and even accorded them ministerial berths, but they worked against the party.
Punjab state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring made veiled attacks on the former finance minister Manpreet Badal and his core team in Bathinda for staying away from a party event in the city on Thursday.
Warring, who reached Bathinda to garner support for the Congress MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra’s Punjab edition next month, saw a divided house of the party as several senior Congress leaders, including mayor Raman Goyal, deputy mayor Master Harmander Sandhu and more than a dozen municipal councillors played a truant.
Without naming anyone, Warring said he would not hesitate to expel the undisciplined leaders from the party but efforts should be made to bring annoyed workers back into the party fold.
Warring said the Congress gave several ‘failed’ politicians a platform to get elected as legislators and even accorded them ministerial berths, but they worked against the party.
“These people were made mayors and hobnobbed to appoint undeserving people for other important public offices. But the party leaders who tried to lure voters by distributing solar panels and grant of ₹10,000 to the underprivileged before the (last assembly) elections were rejected by the electorate,” Warring added in another veiled attack on his bete noire, Manpreet.
Addressing a gathering of party workers at Gandhi Market, Warring said he had defeated Manpreet Badal (then a SAD leader) from Gidderbaha in 2012.
“But later, Manpreet joined the Congress and he was made a minister after he won from Bathinda Urban. When I was national youth president, young cabinet ministers from different states were working under me in the party. I felt hurt when Manpreet was made a minister by ignoring me, but I never hesitated to approach him for grants for development works for my constituency,” he said while insisting that command of the party leadership should be honoured.
“I will welcome any party leader to call me to air grudges or to raise any other issue. Those rushing to the social media to express any difference of opinion would be dealt with strictly,” Warring said in another veiled attack on Manpreet’s political lieutenant Jaijeet Johal, who had stated that Rajan Garg was handpicked by Warring as president of Bathinda Urban unit for being against the ex-minister and his appointment was unacceptable.
While Johal has not retracted his statement, and to date, Manpreet has not reacted to the viewpoint of his key political aide.
