Pargat takes Punjab Congress charge amid united show, calls for ‘principled politics’

Pargat Singh after taking charge as Punjab Congress chief at party headquarters in Chandigarh on Sunday Chandigarh: In a rare display of unity, senior Punjab Congress functionaries gathered at the party headquarters in Chandigarh on Sunday in pouring rain to witness Pargat Singh take charge as the new president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.Pargat, a former hockey Olympian, urged party leaders and workers to practise “sincere and principled politics” and work as a team with wisdom and a balance of passion and restraint. He said Punjab’s concerns must take precedence over political interests and called for a renewed focus on farmers, unemployed youth, traders and industry, drugs and cases involving the sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib.Describing his appointment as a responsibility, Pargat said the real test would be the people’s verdict.Pargat launched a sharp attack on chief minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of allowing leaders from Delhi to dominate Punjab and alleging the state was witnessing the emergence of a “police state”. Addressing chief secretary KAP Sinha and DGP Gaurav Yadav, he urged them to act according to the law than wishes of the governing party. “I want to tell both these authorities not to become mere followers of these people,” he said, alleging they were functioning like AAP workers.Punjab Congress in charge Sachin Pilot framed the upcoming election as a battle for the future of Punjab’s youth, criticising the Mann administration over drug addiction and four years of misrule. Using a sports analogy, Pilot remarked that Pargat has been handed a unique collective team.Former PPCC president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, former chief ministers Charanjit Singh Channi and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, senior leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, leader of ppposition Partap Singh Bajwa, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Rana Gurjeet Singh and Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari were among those present.‘Your team like sand wall’: Pargat to CM MannAddressing declining standards in political discourse, Pargat criticised the use of artificial intelligence to create videos mocking political leaders—including one depicting him missing passes during a hockey match as well as AI-generated videos involving the Jathedar of the Akal Takht.Using hockey analogies, Singh praised his colleagues’ strengths while dismissing the opposition, comparing Randhawa to a penalty-corner specialist, Bajwa to a reliable goalkeeper and Channi to a master strategist. Dismissing the governing party, Singh told CM Mann, “Your team is like a wall made of sand. Its bricks have already begun to come loose.”You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chandigarh | Silver Rate in Chandigarh | Bank Holidays in Chandigarh | Public Holidays in Chandigarh | Chandigarh AQI | Weather in Chandigarh | Petrol Price in Chandigarh | Diesel Price in Chandigarh | CNG Price in Chandigarh | LPG Price in ChandigarhStay updated with the latest Chandigarh news. Download the TOI App.