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The turban tied on my head represents the pride of Punjabis; it’s in our bloodline. If you go to the border, you’ll see they are not afraid of bullets.
NEW DELHI: In an engaging interview on Crossfire show on The New Indian, Amritsar Lok Sabha MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, one of the seven MPs elected from Congress in Punjab, spoke to Executive Editor Rohan Dua on how he foiled attack in the Parliament in December 2023 on 2001 attack anniversary.
He described his instinctive response to the threat, attributing his bravery to his heritage and the spirit of Punjab.
The interview has been divided into three parts. This is the second part. Excerpts:
Rohan Dua: Gurjeet Ji, it’s said that during a recent session, you were one of the first to rush towards the commotion when there were concerns about a bomb, showing courage. Can you share what happened, and do you think such incidents might happen again in India?
Gurjeet Singh Aujla: I believe that this thought process comes from our land, from where we come from. Everything is in that soil. Our ancestors also fought for the country. Whenever invaders came, whenever there were attacks from outside, our people, our ancestors, stopped them. They worked very bravely, and that blood is in our veins as well. When I saw that day, on December 13th, during our prayer because that was when they were martyred in the 2001 attack, we all went there. I kept thinking, “How did 22 people go just like that? Was there no one to catch them? How did they get in?” These thoughts were running in my mind. I was thinking that if something ever happens, we’ll also see what it’s all about. We had no idea that two hours later, you all would witness that scene.
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Then, in front of me, two people jumped. One was running upstairs, one sat down right there. The one who was running was caught first, so I knew the other one was still sitting behind. The one with the bomb, I snatched it from him. He pulled it out with his foot, sitting behind. I snatched it from him, and there was a scuffle. I faced him alone because everyone else knew that one of them was still there because everyone’s face was towards the speaker, and I saw them jumping from the side.
No one knew, so I caught him again, realizing that another person was hiding there. Then, when I snatched it and threw it out, that moment wasn’t something that could happen with planning. It must be in your bloodline to be able to do it, otherwise, you can’t do it. The turban tied on my head represents the pride of Punjabis; it’s in our bloodline. If you go to the border, you’ll see they are not afraid of bullets. They know they won’t be saved from bullets, but even in the army, most of the martyrs are from Punjab. Even when it comes to hanging on the gallows, the majority are Punjabis. This is a bloodline. My mother also said that I was born in that soil, in that family.
My father also served in the military, and he had a great spirit too. When he found out, he said on the phone, “Well done, son.” He didn’t ask, “Why did you do it, son?” He said, “Well done, son, you’ve brought us pride.” It wasn’t like he was going to tell me to keep bowing down all my life. So this thing requires a special kind of blood. I mean, I’m happy that I was born in that soil of Amritsar. I’m grateful to God, to the almighty, that I had this thought process at that time when I confronted that situation. Everything could have gone wrong, but I have a complaint that the government never recognized it. This thing is still in my memory. I’m asking, do they not recognize it because Sardars did it? If we bring something to the table, if there’s a big global news or an attack, they say there was an attack. Later, we find out that nothing happened.
There is no recognisition of this even on August 15th, January 26th, and . So, here in my throat, I have no words. My children, our entire generation, they should know that our people also did something. There was a long gap, and they kept throwing accusations. God brought victory and then a tricolor flag for this country. Nature made me stand for years, but they still did not recognize it.
Rohan Dua: Recently, there was a controversy when a yoga teacher practiced in the Golden Temple, which led to a heated argument. Do you think yoga should be allowed in religious places, or how should such situations be resolved?
Gurjeet Singh Aujla: SGPC should have counselled her instead of filing an FIR. They should have explained our religion to her, what it stands for. Guru Nanak’s teachings are vast and inclusive. Rather than punishing people, we should educate them about our religion. SGPC failed to do that, which led to unnecessary controversy.
Rohan Dua: But sir, if I talk about the Punjab politics and the seats there, when Congress used to bring nine to ten seats, even though this time Aam Aadmi Party brought three seats, Anandpur Sahib is also a temporal seat. If I look at Amritsar, it’s a significant seat, very important for the Sikhs. Do you think now there will be a fair fight, a neck-to-neck competition, in the next election in 2027, with this government completing two and a half years? Or do you think that the compromise we saw in the Lok Sabha will continue, and Congress can form the government on its own? Do you think it will be shared?
Gurjeet Singh Aujla: We will fight and win on our own. This government has failed to deliver on its promises. Punjab’s debt has skyrocketed. The promises made by the Aam Aadmi Party have not been fulfilled, and corruption has only increased.
Rohan Dua: But Congress also faced allegations, like Bharat Bhushan Ashu being involved in a food grains scam during your tenure. People are talking about corruption even now.
Gurjeet Singh Aujla: If someone is guilty, prove it. You have the power, so why aren’t you taking action? Even under your government, there are allegations of GST evasion and other scams. Prove your allegations instead of making baseless claims.
Rohan Dua: Because I have followed the career and other big leaders of the Congress party in Punjab, I have followed them a lot, whether it’s Pratap Bajwa, or Charanjit Channi. Whether it’s Sukhjinder Randhawa, who is also from your region, from Gurdaspur, do you think that in the future, there will be unanimity among you regarding the CM face? Because last time, you saw how there was a fight between Sidhu and Soni, between Randhawa, where everyone wanted the CM face to be theirs. The issue got so intense that when Captain Sahab left, he took along those who were also from your region. And even OP Soni opened a front against you, so somewhere, do you think there will be a unanimous choice this time in 2027, or is there still a fear that the same fight will happen again, that people will leave like Jakhar did, and others will leave too?
Gurjeet Singh Aujla: I don’t think that will happen now. The party leadership has seen everything and is aware. There is democracy in our party. Everyone has the right to demand a seat, whether it’s a sitting seat or a non-sitting seat. Another thing is that the big leaders you mentioned are our respected leaders, and the Congress party is known for grooming leadership. You should take it for granted. Look at the leaders of other parties; most of them have come from the Congress party, whether they are in AAP or BJP.
So when the Congress party has a great leader, naturally, everyone has their way of thinking, and everyone thinks they can do good work for Punjab. But leadership has its own way of handling things. But I assure you that the Punjab Congress will fight the battle, and Congress will win. Who will be the CM face? That decision will be made by the command, and every MLA and every worker will stand behind it because it seems clear that until everyone has a vision, you won’t see anything like what happened before. The leaders of the Congress party are very serious about saving Punjab.
Rohan Dua: That’s why I asked, because you are a Jat face. On one side, Channi Sahib is a Dalit face. So do you think that a Jat face will dominate this time, or will the party go with the Dalit face?
Gurjeet Singh Aujla: I say that politics should not be based on caste. Whoever can do good work should be given the chance. If Channi Sahib can do it, give it to Channi Sahib, but it shouldn’t be because he is Dalit or Jat. Whoever can do good work should be given the chance.
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Rohan Dua: Before I wrap up this interview, one last question. Of course, you may skip this question if you feel like it, but if you want to answer it as well—considering how you mentioned Channi Sahib , also raised the issue of Amritpal, which the BJP said that you are bringing up a man who is already in jail in Assam. Even though it is his democratic right, they said this issue shouldn’t have been raised because the demand for Khalistan is something your party has opposed, Rahul Gandhi has opposed it before, and Jairam Ramesh had to make a comment that his statement might be different, but this is not the Congress party’s ideology. The Akali Dal has always opposed it, and they even appointed Sumit Singh Saini as DGP, who flushed out terrorism, and your government also appointed him as DGP. Do you feel that somewhere, there is a lack of a unified ideology, given how Channi Sahib mentioned Amritpal’s name?
Gurjeet Singh Aujla: Look, the first thing is, what rights has the Constitution given him? He contested the election under the rights of the Constitution and was elected. Channi Sahib’s only argument was that the people who voted for him—now where should they go? He was made an MP, so doesn’t he have rights? Who gave him the right to file his nomination papers? It’s the Constitution. Even then, he talked about Khalistan. The government is trying to bring in something that will curb freedom of speech; if that happens, then there won’t be democracy left. Now there is also talk about a Hindu Rashtra, but Channi Ji’s only argument was that what will happen to the people who voted for him under the Constitution of India? Where will they go for work? That was his point. Another thing is absolutely correct. You know what the Congress party stands for. The Congress party has even witnessed the martyrdom of a Prime Minister. Such people have always stood with the nation and the country and will continue to do so. There’s no doubt about that. The Congress party has played a major role in the country’s history and will continue to stand firm. There’s no need to question how pro-Indian or nationalist the Congress party is; it’s in the party’s blood.
Rohan Dua: Right, but you, of course, oppose that he should not have contested if he had made these inflammatory speeches against Punjab, to spread Punjab, to create Khalistan?
Gurjeet Singh Aujla: Well, time will tell what happens next. But when he has taken an oath under the Constitution, then whose oath did he take? The Constitution’s. Now, what kind of a person he will be, he will have to show that himself.
Rohan Dua: Right! On this note, we end this conversation with one of the fascinating MPs from Punjab on this show of Crossfire. Keep following me, Rohan Dua, on The New Indian. Thank you, Sir, for speaking to us. It was a pleasure speaking to you, Sir.
