When Channi visibly went overboard to criticize the BJP government and equated it with the East India Company, Bittu rose to object to his (Channi’s) remarks.

"Farmers are called Khalistani when they make demands, which aren't fulfilled. This is also an emergency," he said.

In a conversation with the media, Rinku said, "I joined the BJP due to some reasons. In the General Election, Channi was my rival candidate from the Congress. He had made allegations against me and I against him. But after Channi’s win, I congratulated him, and the matter ended. But during the campaign, Channi again alleged that I was involved in gambling, lottery, and drugs business. The allegations have hurt me, my family, and my relatives".

Channi polled 3.90 lakh votes as against his nearest rival Rinku, who secured 2.14 lakh votes. 

With 16.54 lakh voters, the Jalandhar constituency has around 37% scheduled caste population.

Jaishankar in support of Taranjit Sandhu, cited, "We have full confidence that the people of Amritsar will elect him and will send him to Delhi. He will be a very good MP in Parliament. He is the most popular ambassador of India." 

The ex-Punjab chief minister on Sunday called the Poonch terror attack in which an IAF soldier was killed a "stunt" meant to make the BJP win the Lok Sabha polls.

In the aftermath of Charanjit Singh Channi's controversial remarks alleging the pre-planning of the Poonch terror attack, Union Minister Anurag Thakur has come out swinging, demanding an unequivocal apology from the top echelons of the Congress party.

The Congress party convened a Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting at its New Delhi headquarters, chaired by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi, to finalise Lok Sabha candidates for Punjab and other states.

Punjab is likely to witness individual-centric elections in at least five of the 13 parliamentary constituencies, where the ideologies and party affiliations are likely to be a secondary consideration, with the primary focus going to be on the individual candidates.