Preneet Kaur in contest from Patiala, spotlight back on Moti Bagh Palace

Mohit Khanna

Patiala, March 31

The BJP’s decision to field Preneet Kaur from the Patiala parliamentary constituency has brought the spotlight back on Moti Bagh Palace, which was a nerve centre of politics during the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government.

Soon after being fielded, Preneet, 80, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda for showing faith in her.

Before launching her election campaign formally, Preneet, visited Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib and Kali Devi Temple in Patiala.

Preneet, who started her political journey in 1999, would contest the Lok Sabha poll for the sixth time. She was the Minister of State for External Affairs in the UPA-II and served as an MLA from 2014 to 2017.

However, the veteran politician needs to do away with the Congress tag, which has been associated with their family for decades.

“During Gurcharan Singh Tohra’s tenure, Patiala was considered to be a stronghold of SAD. We built the Congress from scratch in the past three decades. However, the party betrayed its loyal soldiers,” said Preneet.

After being suspended a year ago, Preneet decided to mobilise the BJP cadre instead of resigning to fate. Her candidacy marks a significant shift as it’s been 32 years since a BJP candidate contested the Lok Sabha poll from Patiala.

Speaking about the changing political dynamics, Preneet emphasised on PM Modi’s decision-making abilities. “For people of Patiala, rural or urban, I am not an outsider. I am part of their family. The protesting farmers share a personal bond with us and in no way, it will affect the electoral prospect of the party,” said Preneet, adding that she would reach out to every disgruntled worker of the BJP.