Chandigarh:
The installation ceremony of newly appointed Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh on Sunday, barely five months before the Assembly elections, turned into more than a formal change of guard, with outgoing chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring asserting his influence and even taking a swipe at central in-charge Sachin Pilot by name-dropping Rahul Gandhi.
Senior Congress leaders across factions gathered at the party headquarters to attend Pargat Singh's oath-taking, as the former hockey captain was picked after factions led by former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, among others, opposed Warring, the Ludhiana MP who was state unit chief since 2022.
READ | Analysis: Central Agency Raids A Boon Or Curse For Punjab's Ruling AAP
In his speech in Punjabi, Warring name-checked everyone, including Channi, saying, "It does not make any difference to me if someone else takes my name or not, I respect everyone." From Channi to Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, several prominent leaders attended the ceremony. Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari was also present, as was former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, with state Congress affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot leading the proceedings.
"Undoubtedly, many people opposed Raja Warring and perhaps will continue to do so in the future," Warring said, referring to himself in the third person.
"But I am not opposing anyone. I voluntarily admitted that I lost," he said, referring to the internal feud mainly with Channi.
"I consider only one person as my leader, and that is Rahul Gandhi. It is because of Rahul Gandhi that I am here today," said Warring, who has long been considered a Team Rahul member within the Congress. He was recently right by the Gandhis' side as they held protests in Delhi over alleged electoral fraud.
Then he dropped a jibe.
"It may happen that next time [Sachin] Pilot sahib might even refuse me the ticket, but I will remain a soldier of Rahul Gandhi and will always stand with the Congress party, with no ifs and buts," he added.
He, however, assured the young leaders that they would be given poll tickets, signalling that he intended to continue backing the political team built during his tenure as state Congress president. He said he had urged Rahul Gandhi not to forget the party leaders and workers who had worked for the Congress over the past four-and-a-half years.
"I congratulate my brother [Pargat Singh] from the bottom of my heart. I will work like a block unit president, at the bottom. I will not say that I won't share the stage with anyone," he added.
Before the coronation ceremony, Warring called his supporters to his new residence in Sector 10, Chandigarh, in what was seen as an attempt to demonstrate his strength