Cong humiliated me, says Jagmeet

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 5

After spending 35 years in the Congress, two-time Member of Parliament Jagmeet Singh Brar (58) has made up his mind to play a new innings in the state politics. Inching closer to the BJP, he today showered praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had a word of praise for the RSS, too. He said there was nothing communal about the BJP that got a massive mandate across the country recently.

Jagmeet, who quit the Congress, which he described as the mother of all political parties in the country, started as a student activist in early 1970s and remained on the forefront of the All-India Sikh Students Federation, a student wing of the SAD, till late 1970s.

As his influence grew in the party, he was pushed to the corner by the then SAD leadership. Left with no option, he quit the SAD and joined the Congress in 1970.

He lost 1980 and 1985 Assembly elections on the Congress ticket and then the Lok Sabha poll against Chaudhary Devi Lal from Ferozepur. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Faridkot in 1992 and 1999 while he tasted defeat in 1996 and 1998. He contested from Ferozepur in 2004 and 2009 and lost by a thin margin.

“I contested against the Badals when other Congress leaders refused to contest against them. The reason behind my failure in some elections was that feudal lords of those areas used to pool their resources to defeat me,” he said while talking to The Tribune at his residence.

Asked about his next political move, he said his focus would be to liberate Punjab politics from “parivarvad and big landlords”. “These landlords are believers in dynastic politics. My effort will be to break the political clique among landlord families,” he said.

What stand will he take on issues such as conversions, Ram Temple and other controversies related to the BJP in public domain, Jagmeet said by showing political maturity and tolerance, all such issues could be resolved amicably.

Asked about what made him break away from the Congress, he said he was repeatedly humiliated by the party and never given the due despite being a loyal soldier of the party.

Accusing the Badals of practising the politics of “parivarvad” (nepotism), he said Akali MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura was to be inducted into the Union Cabinet headed by Narendra Modi in view of his seniority, but the Badals opted for Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

Before taking the next political step, he would consult his supporters across the state and for that he would embark on a state-wide tour from Ropar tomorrow, he said.