An old Akali war horse and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) former Punjab convener, Sucha Singh Chhotepur on Thursday joined Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Known as the AAP’s architect in Punjab, Chhotepur minced no words to attack Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accusing him of “regularly insulting” party’s every MLA “resulting in exodus from the party”.
All gung-ho about Chhotepur’s homecoming, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal was quick enough to declare his candidature from Batala. Besides, Sukhbir also appointed the traditional Akali stalwart, who had quit the Barnala Cabinet to protest police entry into Sri Harmandar Sahib in 1986, as SAD’s senior vice president.
The party claimed that his joining would strengthen regional aspirations and defeat conspiracies to weaken Punjab. Chhotepur, after joining, straightaway made a fervent and an emotional appeal to “all Punjabi and panthic forces to close ranks and unite under a single Akali flag to fight and defeat the vicious three-pronged attack by outsiders to ‘vanquish Punjabi and panthic jazba”.
Chhotepur said that Akali Dal alone could save Punjab and Punjabis from being turned into a zone of exploitation by the Congress, BJP, and AAP, as all are parties of outsiders.
Welcoming him into “his mother party’, Sukhbir said that Chhotepur’s return to the Akali fold symbolized the strengthening of the panthic forces and the sentiment of peace and communal harmony in Punjab.
Hitting out at AAP’s national convener Kejriwal, Chhoteour said that the latter was only interested in becoming Chief Minister himself. “That is why he sits on stage with Bhagwant Mann and Harpal Singh Cheema and states that the party is searching for a capable person,” he added, adding that all the money collected from NRIs abroad had been deposited into accounts in Delhi, and that an ED inquiry should be conducted into how these funds had been embezzled.
“Arvind Kejriwal hates Punjab and Punjabis from the core of his heart and heaps contempt and humiliation on every Punjabi leader in AAP who tries to raise his or her voice in favour of the State. He just wants to use and abuse Punjab and Punjabis for his personal ambition. Anyone who asked Kejriwal not to trample upon the Punjabis’ self- respect and dignity was not only shown the door but openly and brazenly humiliated,” he said.
“This is the sole reason that all Punjabi leaders such as HS Phoolka, Dharambir Gandhi, Kanwar Sandhu, Sukhpal Khaira, and even Bhagwant Mann were treated like dispensable filth,” said Chhotepur adding that every MLA of the party is regularly insulted by Kejriwal, resulting in exodus from the party.
Notably, Chhotepur was removed from the post of AAP’s Punjab convener in August 2016 on the charges of corruption. He was accused of accepting money from a ticket aspirant ahead of the 2017 assembly polls — charges vehemently denied by Chhotepur.
Describing Chhotepur an “honest” politician, Sukhbir Badal said that with him joining the party, the Akali Dal would get a boost not only in the Majha region but also across Punjab. “Chhotepur had played a key role in building AAP in Punjab but later it deceived him,” he added.
After AAP expelled Chhotepur, he went on to form his own outfit — Apna Punjab Party. Also, Chhotepur was a Minister in the Surjit Singh Barnala-led Government in Punjab in 1985. He had contested as an independent in 2002 from Dhariwal constituency in Gurdaspur and defeated SAD candidate Sucha Singh Langah.
He joined Congress in 2009 and moved to the AAP ahead of the 2014 parliament elections. In 2012, he had contested from the Qadian assembly seat in Gurdaspur as an independent and had lost to Congress candidate Charanjit Kaur Bajwa. In 2014, Chhotepur had unsuccessfully contested on AAP ticket from Gurdaspur parliamentary seat.