‘Do the math’: Warring adds up AAP’s ‘unpaid debt’ to women

Bathinda: Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring has turned a political rally into a math lesson, urging women to demand Rs 48,000 in "back pay" from the state govt as the countdown to the 2027 elections begins.Addressing a massive MGNREGA Abhiyan rally on Tuesday, Warring accused the state's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) govt of attempting to "buy" voters with a last-minute rollout of its promised Rs 1,000 monthly stipend. With only months remaining in the legislative term, Warring argued that women are owed for the four years of silence that preceded this announcement.
The Politics of ‘12 x 4'Warring's campaign strategy centers on a simple calculation: if the govt promised Rs 1,000 per month and failed to deliver for four years, each woman is owed a significant debt. Warring told supporters that women should demand Rs 48,000 for the first four years of the AAP tenure (12 months times 4 years = 48 months). He argued the total entitlement for the full five-year term should be Rs 60,000. Warring told the crowd: "Do not fall for just eight months of payments. Demand what is your right, and if this govt does not keep its word, vote for the Congress."Allegations of State MisuseThe rally also served as a platform for Warring to attack the AAP's administrative ethics. He has alleged that the state is burning through taxpayers' money for partisan gain, criticising specifically the presence of the chief secretary and director general of police (DGP) at what he described as political rallies disguised as official functions.Warring further invoked the emotional case of the late rapper Sidhu Moosewala, noting that the artist's parents were forced to protest just to secure their son's earnings — a situation he called a symbol of the state's failing law and order.National Stakes: Global Trade, MGNREGAFormer Chhattisgarh chief minister and Punjab Congress in-charge Bhupesh Baghel shifted the focus to federal grievances, targeting the BJP-led central govt. On labour rights, Baghel slammed the replacement of the Congress-era MGNREGA scheme with "VB GRAMG", claiming the move "killed the spirit" of worker protections.On the ‘Trump Deal', Baghel warned that a looming trade deal with US President Donald Trump would be "deadly" for Indian farmers. He alleged the central govt had "buckled under pressure" from Washington, prioritizing US interests over domestic agriculture.The Road to 2027The event concluded with a spirited protest march through the bazaars of Bathinda. Senior Congress members, including state's leader of the opposition, Pratap Singh Bajwa, and MP Amar Singh, joined a chorus of voices calling for a Congress return to office in Punjab in 2027 and a national victory in 2029. The party's platform for the upcoming cycle is now clearly defined: restoring legacy social schemes, opposing international trade concessions, and highlighting the alleged "deteriorating" security situation under the current provincial leadership.MSID:: 128466426 413 |