CHANDIGARH: Punjab unit Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who was named as the candidate for the Ludhiana Parliamentary seat on April 29, said that his campaign "is not merely against any individual, rather it is against one who once enjoyed the trust and patronage of the Congress, elected for our cause but betrayed the people".
Warring, a three-time legislator from Gidderbaha, has been pitted against Congress rebel and BJP's Ravneet Singh Bittu, a three-time MP and grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh who was assassinated in a terror attack while still in office in 1995.
Responding to his nomination as the Lok Sabha candidate, Warring told IANS: "I have never shied away from any challenge presented to me, and the Congress high command has deemed me fit to contest from Ludhiana. I am poised to embark upon this endeavour and shall dedicate myself wholeheartedly to achieving success."
He said his campaign would not be merely against any individual, rather "it is against the one who, having once enjoyed the trust and patronage of the Congress party, elected to forsake our cause and betray the people of Ludhiana and Punjab".
"Such treachery finds no place in the hearts of the electorate, as shall be evidenced on June 4. I am confident in the steadfast support of the people of Ludhiana."
"Bittu will soon realise that his political existence owes much to Congress, and the party's patronage has been instrumental in shaping his career, a career now poised to come to an end."
Interestingly, both Warring and Bittu were handpicked by party leader Rahul Gandhi when they started their careers in the Youth Congress.
Warring said throughout his political journey that he has consistently confronted established and senior leaders from his initial Lok Sabha attempt in 2012 from Gidderbaha, where he triumphed over Manpreet Badal on his home turf, to his subsequent victories in 2017 and 2022 and his contest against Harsimrat Badal (of the Shiromani Akali Dal) in 2019 from Bathinda.
"My resolve remains undaunted," he was categorically clear in saying.
Regarding the forthcoming challenge, Warring, a Jat Sikh who was the Transport Minister in the previous Congress government, told IANS: "I am confident in the groundwork laid over the past two years in my capacity as President of the Punjab Congress. This is a battle against the BJP, and I harbour no doubt that the people of Ludhiana shall resoundingly reject the tyrannous BJP regime."
"There is no place for treachery in our Parliamentary halls, and I am committed to securing a resounding victory in Ludhiana. The fruition of my labour over the past two years is poised to manifest on June 4," a confident Warring said, adding: "This is a battle between loyalty to Punjab and betrayal to our state."
State ruling AAP has fielded Ashok Parashar Pappi, while Shiromani Akali Dal's candidate is Ranjeet Singh Dhillon.
Punjab will go to the polls on all 13 Parliamentary seats on June 1.