Chandigarh, March 2 Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said on Monday that Punjabis have never accepted communalism and do not get swayed by theatrics.
In an interaction with reporters, when asked to react to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini sporting a turban in the Assembly while presenting the state budget for 2026-27, Warring said he respects Saini's freedom and choice to follow any faith and wear a turban.
However, he added, the timing of Saini tying the turban is important.
The Ludhiana MP pointed out that Saini has been made a poster boy by the BJP for Punjab ahead of the 2027 assembly elections and he is often seen in Punjab with a turban on his head.
"Rather he is seen more in Punjab than in Haryana," he remarked, while adding that Saini will need to answer several questions that people of Punjab have in mind, as there is the contentious issue of water pending between the two states.
"What shall be his stand on that?" he asked, while adding, "It is a clear case of conflict of interest."
As far as the religious symbolism that Saini is trying to resort to, Warring said, "If he believes that by sporting a turban he would appeal to a particular section of the Punjabis, he is badly mistaken."
Warring asserted that Punjabis have never voted along communal lines and they never will.
He warned the BJP against trying to inject the Punjab polity with its "communal venom".
"Punjabis can neither be lured by your (BJP) communal politics nor the theatrics," he said, adding that this only shows how far removed the BJP and its leaders are from the ground reality in Punjab.
