Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel addresses a press conference. File.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Congress general secretary in-charge for Punjab Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday (March 1, 2025) said following electoral defeat in Delhi, power struggle has started in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is in power in Punjab.
He asserted the entire Congress leadership in Punjab was united and unanimous about ousting the AAP government from the State.
“A power struggle had already started in AAP with the defeated Delhi leaders having started taking charge and control of various government departments in Punjab,” he said here, addressing a press conference after holding meetings with senior Congress leaders, including MPs, MLAs, contested candidates and district presidents.
Replying to a question on the Ludhiana West byelection, for which the AAP has already announced a candidate although the byelection has not been announced, Mr. Baghel said, the purpose of announcing the candidate by the AAP was to create Rajya Sabha vacancy for its leader Arvind Kejriwal after his defeat in Delhi.
Dismissing that there was any factionalism in the Punjab Congress, he said, there was complete unity and unanimity among the leadership to strengthen the party in the State. To a question on PCC leadership, Mr. Baghel said, “both the president (Amarinder Singh Raja Warring,) and the CLP leader Partap Singh Bajwa are here to stay and carry on the good work they have been doing.”
During Congress’s meeting, the party had chalked out the roadmap for the year-long programmes planned by the AICC at its Belgavi Session under ‘Nav Satyagraha’ mission he said. On the organisational front, within this year the Punjab Congress Committee will form the committees from the State to the booth level and involve the entire rank and file in the party’s programmes.
To a question on Punjab government’s declaration of finishing the drugs menace in the State within three months, Mr. Baghel said, “What was the government doing for three years? The government had completely failed on all fronts and was now trying to cover up its failures with grandiose announcements, which were high on rhetoric and low on delivery.”
290 drug smugglers held
Meanwhile, Punjab Police on Saturday conducted a State-level Cordon and Search Operation at identified drug hotspots — the points of sale of drugs and psychotropic substances — across the State, leading to the arrest of 290 drug smugglers after registration of 232 first information reports (FIRs), said Director General of Police Punjab Gaurav Yadav in a statement.
Published – March 01, 2025 08:58 pm IST