‘Good riddance’: Punjab Congress chief Warring on Manpreet Badal quitting Congress

Chandigarh, January 18

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday dubbed Manpreet Singh Badal’s resignation from the party as “good riddance”, terming him as “congenitally power hungry.”

Badal joined the BJP in Delhi after quitting the Congress.

“Good riddance. @MSBADAL is congenitally power hungry. He joined @INCIndia knowing party was winning. 5 yrs is long time for someone like him to stay out of power for reasons not unknown to anyone.Instead of crying martyrdom, he should be apologising to Congress for betrayal,” Warring tweeted.

In another tweet, he said, “No Mir Jafar has ever risen to remain a king be remembered for, their ignominious fate remains etched in political history of India.”

Badal, who is the nephew of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, had joined the Congress in 2016 after he formally merged his own party People’s Party of Punjab with the grand old party.

After Badal lost from the Bathinda Urban seat in the 2022 state Assembly polls, he was not visible in party’s meetings.

The differences between Badal and Warring were known in party circles.

Badal is another senior most leader of the Congress who joined the BJP. Earlier, former chief minister Amarinder Singh and Sunil Jakhar, among other leaders, had joined the BJP.

Five-time MLA Badal was the finance minister in the previous Congress government.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljeet Singh Cheema also took a dig at the Congress following the resignation of Badal, saying with the speed, Congress leaders are joining the BJP, the saffron party should reserve some seats for its “original BJP leaders.”

“Keeping in view the rapid joining of Congress leaders in the Punjab BJP unit, I humbly appeal to the BJP high command to reserve at least 3 Lok Sabha & 23 Vidhan Sabha seats for original BJP leaders who have been working hard for the party since decades,” said Cheema in a tweet.