The installation ceremony of newly appointed Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh on Sunday, barely five months before the Assembly elections, turned into more than a formal change of guard, with outgoing chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring asserting his influence and even taking a swipe at central in-charge Sachin Pilot by name-dropping Rahul Gandhi.
“It may happen that next time [Sachin] Pilot sahib might even refuse me the ticket, but I will remain a soldier of Rahul Gandhi and will always stand with the Congress party, with no ifs and buts,” said Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as Pargat Singh officially succeeded him as Punjab Congress chief.
Earlier reporting noted: Warring, however, said he will fully support new Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh, who on Sunday took charge of his new post at a ceremony held at the Congress Bhavan that was attended by Pilot, among others. In his speech in Punjabi, Warring name-checked everyone, including Channi, saying, “It does not make any difference to me if someone else takes my name or not, I respect everyone. From Channi to Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, several prominent leaders attended the ceremony. Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari was also present, as was former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, with state Congress affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot leading the proceedings. “I consider only one person as my leader, and that is Rahul Gandhi. He was recently right by the Gandhis’ side as they held protests in Delhi over alleged electoral fraud. He, however, assured the young leaders that they would be given poll tickets, signalling that he intended to continue backing the political team built during his tenure as state Congress president.
Because of Rahul Gandhi that I am here today,” said Warring, who has long been considered a Team Rahul member within the Congress, it is. Senior Congress leaders across factions gathered at the party headquarters to attend Pargat Singh’s oath-taking, as the former hockey captain was picked after factions led by former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, among others, opposed Warring, the Ludhiana MP who was state unit chief since 2022.
“Undoubtedly, many people opposed Raja Warring and perhaps will continue to do so in the future,” Warring said, referring to himself in the third person. He said he had urged Rahul Gandhi not to forget the party leaders and workers who had worked for the Congress over the past four-and-a-half years. Earlier reporting noted: Sachin Pilot may even deny me ticket; will always remain Rahul Gandhi’s soldier: Warring Days after quitting as the Punjab Congress president, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Sunday said he may have “lost or fallen”, or AICC’s Punjab in-charge Sachin Pilot may even deny him a ticket for next year’s Assembly elections, yet he would continue to hold the Congress flag high as a soldier of Rahul Gandhi.
Earlier reporting noted: The Ludhiana MP also acknowledged that many in the party opposed him when he was the Punjab Congress president, and that they may continue to do so – remarks seen as directed at his detractors in the state unit.
