Baltej Pannu Hits Back at Congress, BJP Leaders Over Remarks

Chandigarh, October 27: AAP senior leader Baltej Singh Pannu, who serves as the party's general secretary, has reacted strongly to the Congress protest, to remarks by BJP leaders Ravneet Bittu and Sunil Jakhar, and to the water issue discussed in the assembly session.

In a media interaction in Chandigarh, Pannu answered the allegations raised by Sunil Jakhar. He explained that the case dates back to 2023 and concerns Harpreet Singh alias Harry, who was in jail and then granted parole. Pannu said Harry failed to report back after the parole period ended.

He went on to say that the official letter recorded Harry's release on three months of interim bail on January 23, 2024, with a return date of February 13, 2024. Harry did not return by that date, Pannu noted.

Pannu said he could not tell where Jakhar had obtained the information that police had assisted Harry in escaping. He emphasised that Harry had been out on bail under a court order, and described the suggestion that he was freed through police collusion as false.

Addressing the Congress protest, Pannu said the party was panicking. He claimed Congress had understood that its turn would not come even in 2027 and that it had no answer to what the AAP government had delivered. In his view, people without answers begin to act in this manner.

He also raised a question for Rahul Gandhi about the people he had chosen to send to the assembly. Pannu said that these members, despite being elected three or four times as MLAs, still did not understand the rules or how to honour other members.

On Ravneet Bittu, Pannu observed that the BJP leader was currently without a post, as his Rajya Sabha membership had come to an end. He urged Bittu to go to Hari ke Pattan and watch the newly released film Satluj, which shows how many people died because of his ancestors. Pannu added that Bittu had never said anything about that tragedy.

Pannu concluded by saying that if Bittu intended to make personal remarks, he should clarify which bottle the people behind the Katia incident had drunk from. He asked whether it was the same bottle Bittu carries with him or some other bottle altogether.