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The Tribune Interview: Ravneet Singh Bittu, MoS, Railways, Food Processing

‘Neck and neck fight, mobilisation key to victory’
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Ravneet Singh Bittu, Minister of State for Railways. Photo: MANAS RANJAN BHUI
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With two days left for the Delhi Assembly poll, senior BJP leader from Punjab and Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Ravneet Singh Bittu on Sunday termed the fight with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party as “very close” and said the key to victory now was voter mobilisation.

In an exclusive interview to The Tribune on Sunday, Bittu, a former three-term Lok Sabha MP from Punjab, said when Delhi elections were announced, AAP was very strongly placed.

“That is not the case now. The Budget with massive relief to the middle class, the decision to constitute the Eighth Pay Commission and an overall sense that the BJP which rules at the Centre is better positioned to power the capital’s development has altered the equation. People are veering towards change. We are neck and neck today. In these two days, whoever mobilises their voters best will win,” he said.

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He made light of AAP’s taunts that the BJP in Delhi resembled a marriage congregation without a groom as it didn’t have any CM face to match AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. “When the government is formed, we will get a face in Delhi like we got in Yogi Adityanath in UP and CMs of Rajasthan, MP and Odisha,” said Bittu as BJP eyes a Delhi comeback after 27 years.

The minister reiterated his allegations of illegal cash flow from Punjab to Delhi and again urged the Election Commission to take note. “The money AAP seeks to distribute in Delhi is the hard-earned money of Punjab’s people. I urge Delhi voters not to accept it. Also, the Election Commission should see what their powers say on the serious matter involving illegal cash movement from Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s official residence, Kapurthala House, in Delhi. If AAP had nothing to hide, why were EC teams halted outside Kapurthala House for two hours until cash was moved out of rear gates?” asked Bittu, alleging that Punjab, being the only full state governed by AAP, was under “pressure to fund Delhi elections”.

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Talks with farmers to resume this month

"When Minister Piyush Goyal had engaged farmers, the Centre was ready for MSP on five crops. Those talks did not mature. Now, talks with Punjab farmers will resume this month. I urge unions to only fight for crops, on which Punjab needs MSP." -- Ravneet Singh Bittu, BJP leader & MoS, Railways, Food Processing

The minister added it was “out of Kejriwal’s fear that CM Mann, his wife and mother are all campaigning in Delhi.” “They have never been seen campaigning together... Kejriwal is governing Punjab like a dictator,” Bittu alleged.

The former two-term Ludhiana Lok Sabha MP also revealed that the outstanding issue of Punjab’s farmers would move towards resolution starting this month. “Even when Union Minister Piyush Goyal had engaged Punjab’s farmers, the Centre was ready for MSP on five crops. Those talks did not mature. Now, talks with Punjab farmers will resume this month. I urge farm unions to fight only for Punjab’s cause and for crops, pulses and vegetables on which Punjab needs MSP. Which farm union came to support Jagjit Singh Dallewal? Punjab should let other states fight for their rights,” said Bittu hinting that a demand for MSPs on state-specific crops rather than a national-level statutory MSP was the way forward.

The former MP also said once Delhi elections conclude, the BJP would shift its focus to Punjab and the 2027 Punjab election would be an “equal fight” for the saffron party unlike the 2024 Lok Sabha poll when the party lost primarily due to the farmers’ agitation. “In Lok Sabha polls, we had no agents in 60 per cent areas,” he confessed.

Asked why Punjab continued to remain distant from the BJP and the Centre despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s outreach with Sikhs, Bittu said, “Ninety per cent misunderstanding is rooted in the fake narratives being peddled about the BJP and RSS from abroad by people backing Khalistan and the Sikh referendum. These people have so far succeeded in stalling Punjab’s development and keeping it on the edge, but with Donald Trump in the US, this will change. I must also admit leaders such as me have failed to communicate to Punjabis the depth of sentiment the PM has for the state. This onus is on us.”

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