Punjab Congress faces fresh rift as Randhawa challenges Warring’s ‘one family, one ticket’ rule
NEW DELHI: Fresh differences emerged in the Punjab Congress on Sunday after MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa challenged state unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring’s ‘one family, one ticket’ stance ahead of upcoming assembly elections.Speaking at an event attended by former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Randhawa said families could get up to four tickets if their members were capable of winning.“Some say I will not give two tickets (to a family). But those (in a family) who have the capability to win will not only get two but four tickets and ensure Congress’ victory,” Randhawa said.Randhawa also stressed that the Congress could not return to power by ignoring its workers.“We have nurtured the Congress with our blood and sweat. If the Congress is standing strong in the state today, it is because of the contribution of every worker, not any one individual,” he said.His remarks are being seen as a counter to Warring, who has advocated the ‘one family, one ticket’ policy.Warring had said that only one member of a family would get a ticket to contest the elections.“Big leaders say I will contest from here and my son will contest from there. If Raja Warring stays, one family will get only one ticket, not two. Rahul Gandhi will give tickets, and I will only recommend,” Warring had said.On Saturday, Warring also shared an old video of Rahul Gandhi on Facebook in which the former Congress president said, “One person per family should get a ticket.”“I will always follow my leader and stand by him,” Warring said.Meanwhile, BJP leader and former Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu took a dig at the Congress over the issue, saying the party’s high command itself does not follow the one-family-one-ticket policy.Bittu claimed that the Gandhi family had not followed the Congress’ 2022 Udaipur declaration of ‘one family, one ticket’.“Is this a new thing? Sonia Gandhi is a Rajya Sabha member, while her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are Lok Sabha members. What Randhawa Saab has said is completely right. When three members of the Gandhi family can sit in Parliament, why cannot a family get four tickets?” Bittu asked.
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The Punjab Congress has been grappling with factionalism despite repeated assertions by the party leadership that efforts are under way to strengthen organisational unity ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.On July 1, when the Congress leadership decided to retain Warring as Punjab Congress chief and appoint Channi as chairman of its campaign committee.A section of leaders led by Channi had opposed Warring’s continuation as state unit chief and sought his removal.Channi’s supporters want him to be projected as the party’s chief ministerial face ahead of the assembly polls.
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