By PTI
CHANDIGARH: AAP’s Ferozepur Rural candidate Amandeep Ashu Banger on Monday quit the party and joined the ruling Congress in Punjab, alleging that Arvind Kejriwal’s outfit runs like a “multinational company” with only Delhi leaders calling the shots.
Welcoming Banger into the Congress fold, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi told reporters that the leader will contest the February 20 Assembly elections from the seat on the ruling party’s ticket.
He claimed that people are rejecting the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit.
“Their bubble has burst,” said Channi.
After joining the Congress, Banger alleged that he felt humiliated and the state leaders have no say in the party.
He alleged that he was forced by the AAP leadership to spend money on electioneering to woo voters.
AAP functions like a “multinational company” and all leaders from Punjab have no voice in the outfit and leaders from Delhi “dictate terms” to them, he alleged.
“I was feeling stressed in this environment, which was also hindering the so-called development agenda and welfare of Punjab by the party,” he added.
“Besides, (AAP senior leader) Raghav Chadha’s behaviour is rude and has been directing AAP workers to follow his command without taking the Punjab leadership into confidence. They only need Yes men,” Banger alleged.
He said he had earlier joined AAP as he was impressed by their ideology and thought they will bring some positive change, but reality turned just the opposite.
On AAP seeking people’s feedback to pick up its CM’s face, Banger said, “He will only be a dummy candidate while the party’s Delhi leadership will call the shots.
” Channi said after finding out “anti-Punjab agenda” of the Aam Aadmi Party and realising that Kejriwal “only sells dreams”, he quit the party.
Channi said Punjab needs such courageous people, who want to work for the betterment of the state and quit the party even when announced as party candidate.
He said Banger’s example is not an isolated one.
“Earlier, many MLAs left them, saying they do not have faith in their leadership. Three of AAP’s MPs had also left them earlier because of the dictatorial attitude they faced in the party,” said Channi.
On the occasion, Channi accused AAP of targeting farmer leaders out of frustration.
AAP leaders have accused the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, a political front launched by various farmer bodies for fighting next month’s Assembly polls, of approaching party workers and volunteers with various offers to be its candidates.
“Various allegations are being made against farmers now. There is great resentment among farmers and people of Punjab regarding this,” Channi told reporters here while asking AAP to first look into the allegations of money being exchanged for party tickets.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had recently trashed allegations that money was being exchanged for party tickets, saying this does not happen in his party.
“They are questioning the funding source from farmers but I seek an account of crores of rupees which NRIs gave them last time at the time of polls,” said Channi.
Channi also described as “drama” the Aam Aadmi Party’s move to seek people’s suggestion on who should be its chief ministerial candidate for Punjab, saying people know Kejriwal’s antics and said in a lighter vein that people are responding with his (Channi’s) name in the AAP survey.
When asked if his party will declare its CM face before next month’s Punjab polls and if he has raised this issue with the central leadership, Channi again replied in a lighter vein, telling the reporter, “Your question is very good.
When I get an opportunity, I will ask Rahul Gandhi and let you know”.
AAP leader Raghav Chadha had said earlier in the day that it will be only AAP which will go to the state Assembly polls with the chief ministerial face.
Chadha said none of the other political parties, including the ruling Congress, announced the name of their chief ministerial candidate.
In a setback to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Gujarat ahead of the Assembly polls, two prominent leaders – Vijay Suvada and Mahesh Savani – deserted the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit within a span of 24 hours and one of them joined the ruling BJP on Monday.
Suvada, a popular folk singer who resigned from the AAP membership on Sunday, joined the ruling BJP in the presence of its state unit chief CR Paatil in Gandhinagar a day later, saying he has “returned home”.
Hours after Suvada’s switchover, another Gujarat AAP leader, Mahesh Savani, a Surat-based businessman and philanthropist, left the party claiming he is unable to focus on his business and social service activities due to his political commitments.
Both Suvada and Savani had joined Arvind Kejriwal’s party in June last year.
After welcoming Suvada in the BJP fold, Paatil said the folk singer had joined the AAP out of some “misconception”.
“This is a ghar-wapsi or homecoming for Vijay Suvada. Out of some misconception, he had decided to join that party (AAP). When he came to terms with the reality, he sent a proposal to come back, which we accepted,” said Paatil.
Suvada said he needs a party with strong organisation like the BJP to serve the people well.
“I have returned home. My family has been BJP supporters for three generations. CR Paatil considers me as his son. I need a strong organisation to serve the people in a better way. And, everyone knows that BJP has the best party organisation on the ground,” Suvada told reporters.
Savani said he has decided to focus on social service and will stay away from politics as of now.
“I had joined the AAP thinking that it would help me in expanding my social activities. But, it actually proved counter productive as I was not able to focus on my business or social activities due to political commitments.
Even my family and well-wishers told me that politics is not my cup of tea and requested me to leave it,” Savani told reporters in Surat.
Notably, Savani, who is into diamond and real estate businesses, is known for adopting orphan girls of all faiths and arranging their lavish mass weddings.
“As of now, I will stay away from politics. I have not thought of joining any other party as of now. I will join a party which believes in serving the people. The BJP is in power. But, I am not ambitious about having any post or becoming a minister. I will remain attached to social service,” he said.
Assembly polls in Gujarat are due by end-2022.
AAP’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said his party’s chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab Assembly polls will be announced on Tuesday.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has received around 22 lakh responses under its campaign to elect its CM face for the Assembly polls, a party leader said.
Kejriwal had on January 13 asked the people of Punjab to suggest names of their preferred chief ministerial candidates and launched a mobile number for the purpose.
Kejriwal then said though he had wanted party’s state unit chief Bhagwant Mann’s name to be declared as the chief ministerial candidate, the Sangrur MP insisted that people should make the decision.
Kejriwal had also ruled himself out of the race.
“The name of the party’s chief ministerial candidate for Punjab Assembly elections will be announced tomorrow at 12 noon,” Kejriwal told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Delhi.
Later in the day, AAP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Till 5 pm on January 17, around 22 lakh people expressed their opinion and named their favourite chief minister on the number released by the party.”
AAP leader Raghav Chadha in Chandigarh said the party received responses through SMS, voice calls, WhatsApp messages.
AAP’s IT team is scrutinising each message and tomorrow Kejriwal will disclose the results, he said.
Chadha said it will be only AAP which will go to the state Assembly polls with the chief ministerial face.
He said none of the other political parties, including the ruling Congress, announced the name of their chief ministerial candidate.
Replying to a question, Chadha said the next list of candidates will be announced soon.
So far, the party has announced 112 candidates.
Voting for Punjab’s 117 Assembly seats is scheduled for February 20 and the counting will take place on March 10.
Accepting the demand of political parties, the Election Commission on Monday decided to hold the single-phase Assembly polls in Punjab on February 20 instead of February 14 in view of Guru Ravidas Jayanti.
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and political parties in the state had urged the poll panel to postpone the date of voting as lakhs of followers of Guru Ravidas travel to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to celebrate his birth anniversary on February 16.
Channi had said as members of the Scheduled Castes community are likely to visit Varanasi from February 10 to 16, they won’t be able to vote in the elections.
