Warring hits out at BJP, says Punjabis have never accepted communalism

Chandigarh: Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday said the Punjabis never accepted communalism, nor they get carried away by theatrics.Reacting to Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini sporting a turban in the assembly, and while interacting with the media persons, Warring said he respected the Haryana CM's freedom and choice to follow any faith and wear a turban. However, the timing of Saini tying the turban is important.
He pointed out that Saini was made a poster boy by the BJP for Punjab ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, and he was often seen in Punjab with a turban on his head. "Rather, he is seen more in Punjab than in Haryana," Warring remarked.The Congress leader further said Saini would need to answer several questions that the people of Punjab had in their minds, as there was the contentious issue of waters pending between the two states. "What shall be his stand on that?" he asked, adding "it is a clear case of conflict of interest".On the religious symbolism that Saini was trying to resort to was concerned, Warring said: "If he believes that by sporting a turban he would appeal to a particular section of the Punjabis, he is badly mistaken."Warring said Punjabis had never voted along communal lines, and they never would.He warned the BJP against trying to inject the Punjab polity with its "communal venom". "Punjabis can neither be lured by your communal politics nor the theatrics," he told the BJP, adding that this only showed how far removed the saffron party and its leaders were from the ground reality in Punjab.MSID:: 128948646 413 |