Punjab Congress opposes any alliance with AAP, Warring says will fight all Lok Sabha seats

Chandigarh: Days after the last INDIA bloc meeting in Mumbai, Congress leaders in Punjab indicated Tuesday that they are against any kind of alliance with the ruling AAP in the state for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Ahead of a meeting of Punjab Congress leaders here, its chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said they are preparing to fight all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab.

Warring and leader of the opposition Partap Singh Bajwa held a series of meetings with Congress district presidents, MLAs, and other leaders to discuss the political situation in the state as well as the issue of alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party.

In the meeting, the leaders opposed any alliance with the AAP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as they asked Warring and Bajwa to apprise the Congress high command of sentiments of party leaders and workers against any such move, according to party sources.

Besides Warring and Bajwa, the meeting was attended by several senior leaders including former ministers Brahm Mohindra, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, MLAs Raj Kumar Chabbewal, Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary, Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, Aruna Chaudhary and MP Mohd Sadiq.

Senior Punjab Congress leaders, including Bajwa, have been stating that there would not be any alliance with the AAP in the state.

Earlier, speaking to reporters, Punjab Congress chief Warring said, “We have been told to prepare for fighting all 13 Lok Sabha seats (in Punjab) and we are readying for fighting elections.” He said the main opposition party has been raising burning issues of the state against the AAP government.

“Even today, we are fighting on Punjab issues against the AAP government. We have been raising issues of the country and Punjab regularly. We held 'dharnas', demanding compensation for losses caused by floods,” he said.

On September 1, the INDIA bloc in its Mumbai meeting resolved to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls together "as far as possible", asserting seat-sharing arrangements in states will be concluded at the earliest in a "collaborative spirit of give-and-take".

The opposition coalition leaders set up a 14-member coordination committee that will act as the highest decision-making body of the alliance and initiate work on seat sharing. It also exuded confidence that the new front would easily defeat the BJP.

Warring cited that in West Bengal, TMC fights polls against CPI and CPM and said in Punjab, the Congress will continue to fight against the AAP.

On the INDIA alliance, Warring said, “When there is a question of saving the country and democracy, then we are together.” “INDIA alliance is for saving democracy. Like minded parties which respect the Constitution have come together,” he added.

Before the meeting in Chandigarh, Bajwa said that they will apprise the party high command of the feedback of the state unit on the issue of alliance with the AAP in the Congress Working Committee meeting where state unit chiefs and CLP leaders were expected to be called.

Bajwa said that the sentiments of the Congress workers were not with the AAP as he accused the Bhagwant Mann government for targeting the party's state leadership and party cadre in the past one-and-a-half years.

“Sentiments of people are not with them. Congress party's sentiments are not with them (AAP),” said Bajwa.