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Journalism of Courage
Nawanshahr Congress MLA Angad Singh Saini Monday filed nomination as an Independent candidate from the seat after being denied ticket for the February Punjab Assembly polls, a decision, he alleged was taken by the party high command based not on his performance but on matters and issues related to his wife.
Angadâs wife Aditi Singh was a Congress MLA from UPâs Rae Bareli and had quit the party to join the ruling BJP there recently. She had reportedly dared Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest from Rae Bareli.
The Congress, in its list released for Punjab on Sunday, fielded Satbir Singh Saini in Angadâs place from Nawanshahr.
Angad said not all marriages are successful, but that doesnât give one a right to badmouth his or her spouse.
âI stayed in Delhi for two weeks but my ticket was not announced. I told the senior leadership that Aditi and I have been living separately for the past 14-15 months and we will take a call (on the marriage) after the elections. I am hurt that the senior leaders took the decision (to deny me ticket) based on my personal life and not on my performance.,â said Angad, adding that he has been forced to go public about his private life as the senior leadership asked him to issue a statement against his wife.
Angad said he refused to do their bidding. âI told them I cannot insult a woman. My mother always told me one thing: a person who cannot respect a woman, canât be a good human being,â Angad said.
A first time MLA, and among one of the youngest in the outgoing assembly, Angad was named general secretary of Nawanshahrâs Youth Congress wing in 2008 at the age of 18.
The MLA also listed development works initiated by him in the constituency as he castigated the Congress high command for choosing a candidate who failed miserably as âhalqa inchargeâ of Banga.
Angad said he did not claim his salary as an MLA for two years during the Covid period in order to set an example for other MLAs to follow the trend for the welfare of the masses.
Claiming that he was forced to take âthis tough decision to contest the polls as a rebelâ by his supporters, he said âPerhaps, I am destined to play a crucial role after winning the polls as no party is likely to get majority this timeâ.
Both Angad and Aditi are first time MLAs and have political background. While Aditiâs father, Akhilesh Partap Singh, had remained MLA from the Rae Bareli Sadar Assembly segment, Angadâs father Parkash Singh Saini was a legislator from Nawanshahr from 2002 to 2007.
In 2017, Angad had contested against his own uncle Charanjit Singh, who was the Aam Adami Party (AAP) candidate, and SADâs Jarnail Singh Wahid. He had won with a margin of 3323 votes with Jarnail Singh trailing him and AAP candidate being relegated to third place.
Recently Angad had put up a post on his Facebook page on his matrimonial dispute. ââŚmy wife Aditi SinghâŚ.has been living separately from me for more than a yearâŚmy matrimony is entirely a personal matter which is confined within my home and as such the same is not a matter, which ought to be highlighted in the public domainâ.
He further wrote that as âno doubt can be raisedâ on his âallegiance to the Indian National Congressâ. âMy predecessors and I have served the same with honor and dignity and as such my wifeâs ideological differences and allegiance to any other party cannot even remotely cast aspersions or an iota of doubt on my will to serve my peopleâŚmatrimonial or ideological differencesâŚare entirely personal in nature and can arise in any household and the same has nothing to do with my capability, integrity and will to serve the people of my constituency who have since times immemorial shown immense support and faith in me and my family. My family and I have been ardent flag bearers of the Indian National Congress for the last 60 years and will continue to do so,â he added.
