Chandigarh, February 16 Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said on Monday that Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had created a conflict of interest by campaigning for the BJP in the state and yet seeking a share in Punjab's water resources.
The party held a series of meetings at the Congress Bhavan here with various office-bearers, including the party's district presidents, MLAs, and contesting candidates, to plan the course of action in the run-up to the 2027 Assembly polls.
The meetings were presided over by Congress general secretary in-charge of Punjab, Bhupesh Baghel.
In an interaction with reporters on the sidelines of the meetings, Warring said Saini has been aggressively seeking water from Punjab.
"It is like chasing two rabbits at once," he said, adding that Saini cannot campaign for the BJP in Punjab and at the same time make an unjustified claim over Punjab's water resources.
Warring was referring to the long-standing Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal issue between Punjab and Haryana.
Responding to a question about the reported proposal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to appoint two deputy chief ministers to accommodate different castes and religions, Warring said that people should be appointed based on their competence, not their faith or caste.
He pointed out that there is no post of deputy chief minister in the Constitution, and that a deputy chief minister is just like any other minister.
He said that the AAP was apparently resorting to such "theatrics" in the election year to try to appease different communities without actually empowering them.
He, however, added that due representation to all castes and communities must be ensured with real empowerment, and not be restricted to token and symbolic representation.
On the government's campaign 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' (war against drugs), he said it had "completely failed" and turned into 'Yudh Jharoo Virudh' (war against the AAP).
Warring said that if drugs had been eradicated from Punjab, the AAP would not need to spend money on advertisements.
Asked about Union Home Minister Amit Shah accusing Rahul Gandhi of spreading disinformation on the trade deal with the US, Warring said, "When has Shah accepted the truth spoken by Rahul Gandhi?"
He said that Gandhi would be proven right very soon when the consequences of the imports promised under the deal hit farmers.
On the AAP's claim that the BJP was trying to poach its MLAs, Warring said that the AAP is known for such "theatrics" and had made similar claims in the past without evidence.