Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Wednesday expressed his desire to contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, saying he wants to work in his home state after spending nearly 17 years in Parliament.
Bittu’s statement came as his term in the Rajya Sabha expires later this month.
“I want to work in Punjab,” Bittu says.
“I have spent 17 years in Delhi (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha). Now I feel like coming to Vidhan Sabha and working in Punjab,” Bittu said here.
“Our entire leadership is here today and is fully prepared to serve Punjab. They have given us the mission, we will go to the villages, street by street for the betterment of the state and will knock on the door of every house.
“Our real aim is to connect with the people at the ground level by becoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s soldiers,” he said while addressing a gathering after newly appointed Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon took charge.
BJP Outreach and Political Playground
Bittu, Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Industries, said the BJP made him a minister despite him losing the parliamentary elections.
Punjab poison reacts
Reacting to Bittu’s remarks, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann claimed that the BJP leader will soon lose his ministerial post and Rajya Sabha seat.
Criticizing the Union Minister, Mann said that the BJP had asked Bittu to prove his worth by winning the Assembly elections.
Punjab Assembly elections are scheduled to be held early next year.
Bittu’s statements sparked controversy in political circles as he could contest the assembly elections.
Beto’s journey
He joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He is the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated in 1995.
Bittu remained a three-time Lok Sabha MP on Congress tickets. He was first elected as MP from Anandpur Sahib in 2009. Later, he was elected from Ludhiana twice in 2014 and 2019.
After joining the BJP, he unsuccessfully contested from the Ludhiana seat in 2024. He was defeated by Congress candidate Amrinder Singh Raja Waring.
Bittu also expressed confidence that the BJP will form the government in Punjab after the 2027 Assembly elections.
“Our aim is to form a dual-engine government in Punjab and make our state prosperous. Unity, discipline and a strong message for the development of Punjab… The entire party leadership is fully committed to taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to every constituency and every worker of Punjab,” he said.
