Sachin Pilot says Punjab Congress leaders

Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot says all senior party leaders in Punjab have assured him they will work unitedly for the upcoming assembly elections. Pilot, recently appointed the party's in-charge for the state, made the statement in an interview.

He confirmed having cordial meetings with key figures, including former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. According to Pilot, Channi has promised his full support for the Congress's electoral efforts. Pilot emphasized that his duty is to ensure every leader and worker feels like a stakeholder in the party's collective future in Punjab.

Leadership and campaign focus

Sachin Pilot stated the election will be fought under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, with Priyanka Gandhi also involved. He described Rahul Gandhi as the person who has captured the imagination of the youth and all thinking people. The campaign will be a team effort, use the work of those who have toiled for the party over the last year and a half.

Pilot downplayed internal divisions, calling them minor differences of opinion. He noted that Channi, whom the Congress made Punjab's only Dalit chief minister, remembers what Rahul Gandhi did for him. The former chief minister was reportedly candid in his meeting with Pilot and assured him he would work shoulder to shoulder with the Punjab Congress leadership.

The political battlefield in Punjab

Pilot anticipates a multi-cornered contest but sees the main fight as being between the Congress and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Other competitors include the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), two factions of the Shiromani Akali Dal, and smaller parties.

He argued that people in Punjab are looking for a stable alternative. Pilot criticized the BJP's actions in Delhi as an open display of being anti-young people and anti-students. He also claimed the BJP lacks strong footing in Punjab, having been a junior ally of the Akali Dal and losing many elections even when in alliance.

Addressing past performance and current challenges

The Congress leader addressed the party's poor performance in the Malwa region during the last election, where it won only two of 69 seats, and Channi's loss in both seats he contested. Pilot said he does not want to use the last election as a benchmark, calling it a wave election where many undeserving candidates won.

He contrasted that with the Congress's performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, which he said indicates people want change. Pilot attacked the AAP government, stating that in four and a half years it has only served the interests of its party leadership and is now marred by controversies, arrests, and corruption scandals.

Rahul Gandhi's directive for Punjab

According to Sachin Pilot, Rahul Gandhi's consistent message is to work for the people of Punjab. Gandhi has asked Pilot to work on the ground and expressed a desire to spend time in the state. Pilot revealed that Gandhi is keen to start his yatra, or tour, as soon as possible, with teams finalizing the details. The goal is for the party to work tirelessly, unitedly, and collectively for both the party and the state.