Harsimrat dares Bhagwant Mann to contest against her from Sangrur in 2019

Union food processing industries minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday said she may contest from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s local parliamentarian Bhagwant Mann need not come to Bathinda to put up an electoral fight against her.

Harsimrat, who was at Kheri village, 10km from Sangrur, where she inspected a ‘krishi vigyan kendra’, told Hindustan Times after a press conference, “He (Bhagwant Mann) wants to come in limelight by making statements that he would contest against me but he does not need to come to Bathinda for that. Instead I challenge him to contest against me from the Sangrur constituency. I will contest from here if he wants to contest against me.”

The Union minister said AAP was a creation of the Congress and it also helped the latter in the Shahkot assembly byelection held recently.

“I am not an escapist who would leave her constituency like other leaders for political benefits,” she said.

It was her second visit to Sangrur in a month. She had inaugurated a Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra in Sunam on May 13.

‘Challenge accepted’

The Sangrur MP accepted the Union minister’s challenge to fight against her from the segment which is his home district.

“I don’t need to use her name to come in limelight. Everyone knows that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Congress have been working hand in glove for decades while AAP emerged from agitation,” he said.