‘Dear big brother Bittu… here comes Warring,’ Punjab Cong chief hits ground running in Ludhiana, with a challenge to ‘vadda bhraa’

Former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who was also one of the leading contenders for the ticket from Ludhiana, also welcomed Warring warmly and hugged him multiple times as the cavalcade entered the Ludhiana West Assembly constituency. Warring reciprocated in the same vein by putting garlanding Ashu. Warring also joined party workers raising slogans in Ashu’s favour, as both campaigned in the West segment.

Earlier, Warring started the day with a scathing attack on his rival BJP candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu, a three-time MP from the Ludhiana parliamentary seat and a Congress turncoat.

Before arriving in Ludhiana, Warring visited Congress Bhavan in Chandigarh and paid tribute to slain Punjab CM Beant Singh’s statue, the grandfather of Bittu.

As Warring’s cavalcade moved across the district, the Punjab Congress played the customised song “Oh naam da Raja nahi, dil da vi raja hai (He is not just king by name, but also by heart)” for “pardhan ji (Warring)”.

A three-time MLA from Gidderbaha in Muktsar district, Warring is venturing into Ludhiana in an election for the first time, and has been pitted against once dyed-in-wool Congress leader Bittu who defected to the BJP.

Warring termed the high-stakes poll battle in Ludhiana as a contest between “gaddari” (betrayal) and “Wafadari” (loyalty). Warring said that he was handpicked by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi to contest from Ludhiana to ensure “traitors like Bittu face a crushing defeat”.

Addressing party workers at Samrala Chowk upon entering Ludhiana, Warring, said, “Eh 20-20 Punjab da hai… aadarniya satkaryog vadde bhraa Bittu ji.. le aa gaya Raja Warring.. (This is the 20-20 (cricket) match of Punjab. Respected dear brother Bittu, here comes Raja Warring).”

Warring said now another IPL would be played in Ludhiana. “We will play another IPL here. Do you know what IPL means? I stands for India as we have save country’s Constitution, P for a person’s character and L means Ludhiana’s development. This wafaadar Warring will stand with the people of Ludhiana even at 1 am. I want to tell the people of Ludhiana that I am not like Bittu who stopped picking up your calls,” Warring added.

Warring was flanked by district Congress president (urban) Sanjay Talwar as he entered Ludhiana from Samrala Chowk, and later former MLAs Surinder Dawar and Rakesh Pandey welcomed Warring as the roadshow entered Ludhiana Central and North segments, respectively. After the West, where he was welcomed by Ashu, the cavalcade reached the rural segments Dakha and Jagraon, where Captain Sandeep Sandhu accompanied Warring.

Passing through the city, Warring paid obeisance at Calvary Church, Gurdwara Dukhivaran Sahib, Jama Masjid, Durga Mata Mandir (Jagraon bridge) and Gurdwara Nanaksar (Jagraon). He also paid tributes to the statues of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.

Earlier, he stopped his cavalcade at the memorial of slain Congress leader Satpal Prashar, the cousin of Aam Aadmi Party (candidate) Ashok Prashar Pappi.

Meanwhile, Bittu also paid obeisance at Gurdwara Nanaksar in Jagraon, earlier in the day.

In a statement, BJP Ludhiana district president Rajnish Dhiman said the Congress’s roadshow was a “flop show” as “Warring has been rejected by his own party workers”.

“It was a lacklustre event,” said Dhiman.

Addressing the media in Jagraon, Warring said: “After many years today, I felt like my mother was hugging me again. Such was the love I received from people of Ludhiana today. I am hoping to fulfill the responsibility given to me by Rahul Gandhi with my full might.”

“I might not have contested these Lok Sabha elections but then our brother Ravneet Singh Bittu did such betrayal with Congress party that the high command had to take this decision. The high command decided that there’s a need to give a tough message to such people and teach them a lesson. Such people forget all values and ethics and join other parties out of greed. I am not calling anyone bad but then if you desert someone in tough times, such person is called dhokebaaz,” he said.

Warring further said that even during pre-independence times, the country had such “traitors” who were “spies of the British” and that’s why “Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev had to sacrifice their lives.”