Bhagwant Mann shifted 10,000 cops as they voted for Congress, says Raja Warring

Jupinderjit Singh & Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 23

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, the MP-elect from Ludhiana, has alleged that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently transferred 10,000 police personnel across the state because they voted for the Congress.

‘Party to decide my wife’s candidature’

“Survey reports say that my wife would have been a better candidate than me from Bathinda. I do not promote my wife as part of dynasty politics. But being my wife should not be a disadvantage for her. If she is capable, she has the right to be in politics. But it is for the party to decide on the candidature.”

Speaking on The Tribune’s ‘Decode Punjab’ show, Warring said the CM took action against the cops to vent his frustration over the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections, in which AAP won only three out of 13 seats.

“Being the CM and the Home Minister of the state, he should not say ‘my police are involved in drugs’. What are you doing for two and a half years if you could not find out those involved in the drug trade?” he said.

Speaking about the fissures in his own party, in the context of the criticism he has been facing from senior leaders, Warring, once known for his aggression, said there was no place for anger in the political life. “I will visit every leader, despite the recent criticism from certain quarters against me, to talk to them,” he said.

Warring, who defeated BJP’s Ravneet Singh Bittu in the LS elections, insisted that he was not in the race to become the state’s CM “as there are 6-7 other capable leaders”. Everyone must follow the party line, he added.

Warring took on the detractors who have been asking him to allow someone else to take the responsibility of the Congress in Punjab. “This has to be decided by the party. If the party feels appropriate that I should give up that responsibility, there is no problem. I am loyal to the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. After God, I have full faith in Rahul. But if asked to keep the responsibility, I will not say no,” he said. Admitting that keeping senior Punjab leaders united in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly elections was a challenge, he expressed the confidence that he would be able to meet it, having learned from the mistakes made in the 2022 elections.

On dissension in the party, he said that certain leaders who have ‘big egos’ feel he was not listening to them. “But I will try my best that all are taken into confidence and all decisions are taken collectively,” he said. “It’s difficult to ensure that no one speaks against the party, or somebody would not raise any issue on any platform that could embarrass the party,” he said, adding: “It is internal democracy that allows leaders to speak their heart out. It is a healthy sign. But the party line has to be followed.”