Ex-CM Charanjit Channi’s b’day cake video goes viral, creates ripples in political circles

Tribune News Service

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, April 2

A new controversy ensued over the birthday celebrations of former Chief Minister of Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi as his video of cutting a cake with the words, ‘Sada Channi Jalandhar’ mentioned on it, went viral.

As he cut this cake at his place in Morinda, Congress leaders including Adampur MLA Sukhwinder Kotli and party spokesperson Amritpal Bhonsle are seen in the backdrop in the video. Kotli is seen raising the slogan, ‘Sada Channi vich Jalandhar’. Channi first offers the cake to Kotli and then the others present around him. The video led to a controversy as Channi has so far not been declared a candidate from Jalandhar and those not in favour of any such move have made an issue that the leaders were propping him up as candidate even as no such announcement had yet been made.

Kotli claimed, “I had not got the cake. I had only gifted him a bouquet. He is a popular leader of our community and I had gone there just to wish him on the occasion.”

In fact, not just Kotli, other MLAs from Doaba including Rana Gurjeet Singh from Kapurthala and Hardev S Laddi Sherowalia from Shahkot were among those who went to his place to celebrate the occasion with him. Rana Gurjeet Singh said, “I was going to Delhi and was to board a flight. I had some time with me. So, I chose to wish Channi ji personally.”

However, this angered Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary to the extent that he poured his heart out against him. Vikramjit, who is against the candidature of Channi and has been seeking that the ticket be given to his family, said, “I wish Channi ji on his birthday. But I am surprised as to why no one from Chamkaur Sahib was offering him a cake, even though he has represented the seat even during his tenure as the CM. The cake has come from Jalandhar and could have got sour by the time it reached Morinda. Channi should ideally campaign for Manish Tewari, who has been an MP from his area, and serve the constituents of Chamkaur Sahib well.” Vikramjit’s father Chaudhary Santokh Singh had been an MP from the seat twice. After his demise last year, his mother Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary had contested from the seat in 2023 bypoll but had lost to Sushil Rinku, who had then contested as an AAP MP and is now the BJP nominee this year.

Vikramjit said, “Channi does not belong to Doaba and does not know its culture. Even Kotli, who has made entry into the Congress just two years back, does not know the Congress culture that the party does not give tickets by writing Jalandhar on the cake. This could have been the culture in BSP, the party which he was a part of earlier.”

The Phillaur MLA further took a dig against Channi saying, “Jalandharites won’t get lured to vote with Channi’s tricks like playing gulli-danda or milking goats or flying kites.” He also denied that there was Channi factor which worked in 2022 with Congress MLAs winning five of the nine Assembly segments in Jalandhar.

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