Not on work done by her, 4-time Patiala MP Preneet Kaur seeks votes in Modi’s name
A Congress turncoat and the wife of former two-time Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, Maharani Preneet Kaur is contesting on a BJP ticket for the first time to defend the Patiala seat.
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BJP candidate Preneet Kaur during her campaign at Sanour in Patiala, Monday. (Harmeet Sodhi)For the nth time four-time sitting Patiala MP Preneet Kaur visited this sleepy village in the Sanour Assembly segment on Monday, though with a tactical shift — invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name to win over electorates, leaving the recognition as erstwhile Patiala royal behind.
A Congress turncoat and the wife of former two-time Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, Maharani Preneet Kaur is for the first time contesting on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket to defend the Patiala seat at a time when the party has been facing state-wide protests by farmers.
“I am coming to you for a new start…vote for Modi ji to strengthen Punjab. He (Modi) is the tallest leader in the country. Look at how we are respected internationally now. We send our children abroad. Indians living abroad know what has changed for them there during the rule of Modi. You have given enough to the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Now, try the BJP. Modi ji will catapult Punjab on the path of development. We need someone like him. Centre has several beneficial schemes,” Preneet said addressing a gathering at Udepur Diwanwala village in Patiala.
Invoking Modi, she came down heavily on farmers’ agitation: “If they have the right to ‘aandolan’ (agitation), we have the right to campaign, and the voters have the right to vote. Why are they (farmers) threatening people with dire consequences if they (people) vote for us? This is not done.”
She blamed the Congress and the ruling AAP in Punjab for “colluding with farmers to take on BJP. The political parties should do their work and let the farmers do theirs.”
Preneet, who was defeated by AAP’s Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, now contesting on a Congress ticket, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, reminded people about her 25 years of service for them.
“Captain Sahib and my family spent 25 years serving you. He did not care for any party. The people of Punjab remain his top priority. He never cared for the positions and resigned from his positions. He never cared. You are still his top priority. With the BJP government at the Centre, Punjab will be able to get several schemes. I have high hopes from you,” she told the gathering.
Talking about the Congress and the AAP, Shae said, “They are together. If you vote for the Congress, they are not going to form a government at the Centre. You already have given 92 seats to AAP. What have they done? They have only used the broom to destroy Punjab. This is your opportunity to help the state.”
With Bikram Inder Singh Chahal, the son of Amarinder’s longtime aide Bharat Inder Singh Chahal, by her side, Preneet visited several Sanour villages by the Haryana border on Monday.
At Ratta Khera, a village on the Punjab and Haryana border, Preneet told the electorates to vote wisely: “This election is different. There is no direct fight this time, and the votes will be divided among five to six contestants. Hence, you have to choose carefully. Choose for the future of your children. Do not get taken away by the entertainer Bhagwant Mann. We need him only for entertainment. Congress will not form a government. It will be Modi government at the Centre.”
Coming down heavily on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, she said he was seeking votes for “coming out of jail and not for Punjab”. “Law put him in jail. Law took him out of jail. Now he will go back to jail on June 1, as per the law. Why is he seeking votes for his release? He should seek votes for Punjab instead of himself,” she said.
Preneet, however, did not attack either Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi personally. In her address, she took on the Congress, saying the party would not be able to form a government.
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