Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu has strongly criticized Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, alleging that Raja Warring is making false claims about AAP MLAs to divert attention from the growing discord, confusion, and leadership crisis within the Punjab Congress. He said that the Congress leadership is busy in an internal power struggle instead of resolving the issues of the people of Punjab.
Big statement by Baltej Pannu
At a press conference on Friday, AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had correctly predicted that opposition parties would lose their political balance by the 2027 assembly elections. He said, “The statements and social media posts of Congress leaders clearly reveal serious rifts within the party. The condition of Punjab Congress has deteriorated so much that its leaders are busy fighting among themselves instead of raising public issues. Every statement and tweet by Congress leaders only highlights their internal conflicts.”
Rejecting Raja Warring’s claim that 40 to 45 AAP MLAs are in touch with the Congress, Baltej Pannu called it a fabricated story designed to divert attention from the Congress’s internal feud. He added, “Senior Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa had initially claimed that 30 to 35 MLAs were in touch with him, but later he started alleging that Congress municipal councillors were being poached.”
He said, “If Raja Warring’s figures are added to Bajwa’s claims, then Congress will already have the majority to form the government. This raises a direct question: if they have so many members, why did Congress not form its own government? These contradictory statements only expose the confusion and panic within the party.”
Questioning the credibility of the Congress leadership, Baltej Pannu said the party has repeatedly failed to prevent its senior leaders from joining the BJP. He asked Raja Warring if he knew when former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh joined 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 couldn’t even keep track of its senior leaders joining the BJP has no moral right to speculate about AAP MLAs.”
Taking another dig at the Congress, Baltej Pannu challenged Raja Warring to announce candidates for all assembly seats before making claims about AAP. He said, “Congress doesn’t even have strong candidates to contest all the assembly seats, yet its leaders are dreaming of forming the next government.”
Shedding light on the leadership crisis within the Congress party, Baltej Pannu claimed that more than a dozen party leaders are in the running to become the chief ministerial face. Referring to posters of senior Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi, which lacked the Congress name, election symbol, or images of the central leadership, Baltej Pannu said this incident clearly demonstrates the intense power struggle within the party.
AAP Punjab’s media in-charge advised Raja Warring to focus on saving the Congress’s remaining existence instead of making fabricated claims about AAP. He said, “The people of Punjab have decided to give Bhagwant Singh Mann’s AAP government another chance. While Congress is mired in internal conflicts and leadership ambitions, the AAP government is relentlessly working for the welfare and development of the people.”