Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday launched a sharp attack on BJP president Nitin Nabin, accusing him of selling 'bogus dreams' to the people of Punjab. Warring specifically targeted Nabin's vision of recreating the era of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, calling it historically and geographically impossible.
Warring dismisses BJP's historical rhetoric
Addressing the media in Chandigarh, Warring said that Nabin was not the first BJP leader to peddle such 'bogus dreams' and that the people of Punjab were not interested or impressed by such rhetoric. 'Instead of selling the Ranjit Singh-era dreams, let us talk about the present crisis Punjab is facing,' Warring said, while urging the BJP president to focus on the state's real problems.
Warring listed several pressing issues confronting Punjab, including the farm crisis, unemployment, corruption, the drug menace, and the rising gangster culture. 'We need solutions to those pressing problems and not a rewind of history, which in any case is not possible,' he remarked.
Seeking cooperation from BJP-led Centre
The Punjab Congress chief also sought a commitment from Nitin Nabin that the BJP would cooperate with the state government irrespective of which party forms the government after the upcoming elections. 'If the formation of a BJP government in Punjab is a precondition for the BJP-ruled Centre to address the state's problems, then we may well have to wait for some time,' Warring said, indicating that the Centre should not make cooperation conditional on political outcomes.
Warring's remarks come amid heightened political activity in Punjab ahead of the assembly elections. The Congress party is hoping to retain power in the state, while the BJP is making aggressive efforts to expand its footprint. However, Warring's comments suggest that the Congress is not taking the BJP's historical narratives seriously and is instead focusing on contemporary challenges.
