India, Nov. 3 -- With reputation as a fierce and nimble critic of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, Partap Singh Bajwa, 69, is the most seasoned Congress leader in Punjab who has been in the Vidhan Sabha, Parliament (both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) and minister in the cabinet of four chief ministers. The upcoming assembly polls will be a crucial test for the party's power sweepstakes as well as his barely concealed ambition: chief minister's post. At the Leaderspeak@HT session on Tuesday, moderated by Executive Editor Ramesh Vinayak, Bajwa shared his views and vision on Punjab, peppering a 90-minute lively conversation with his trademark wisecracks. Edited excerpts:

How do you read Punjab's current political landscape and the shape of the cont...