Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has planned to fail the Congress party in Gurdaspur by-elections by carrying the report card of its first six-month performance. The party also plans to go the aam aadmi (common man) way by raising specific local issues instead of general ones.
The party’s decision is in sync with its Delhi policies where it succeeded in the recent bypoll by taking up local issues and projecting its work in the national Capital, where it is heading the Government. AAP, which held its meeting on Thursday under the leadership of its State unit president and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann and leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Sukhpal Khaira, has also decided to field a “local” candidate, probably a Hindu face.
During the meeting, which was also attended by AAP’s ally, lok Insaaf Party MlA Balwinder Singh Bains, detailed deliberations were held regarding party’s strategy for the October 11 by-election, and the issues and problems related with the Gurdaspur parliamentary segment.
It was decided in the meeting that the party would not only discuss and raise the problems of the constituency with primary being the issue of sand mining, pending sugarcane arrears, cases of dalit atrocities, drugs, problems of the small scale industry especially in Batala among many others, but would find solutions for the same.
During the deliberations, it was felt that the electorate were not happy with the working of the Congress Government so far while the Akali Dal had already lost its ground in the state. All leaders present in the meeting stressed that the AAP need to work really hard only which could yield positive results in Gurdaspur by-elections.
“Congress Government in Punjab has failed to fulfil its pre-poll promises like farmer debt waiver, eliminating drugs, providing employment to youth, among others…This Government is being run by the babus and Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh hardly enters Punjab,” said Mann, after the meeting.
Taking on the SAD-BJP coalition, Mann said that the saffron party was mainly responsible for destroying the industry in Punjab by giving leverage in tax to the neighbouring hill states after it came to power in the Centre.
Khaira maintained that the Gurdaspur by-elections would decide whether the politics of lies could survive in Punjab or not. Mann stated that the final name of the party candidate would be decided by AAP's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) and till now, six-seven names have been discussed.
At the same time, Mann made it clear that the party would field only a local leader while putting to rest the speculations of AAP fielding model-actress turned politician Gul Panag from Gurdaspur.
“AAP candidate for Gurdaspur by elections would be a local one with a clean image unlike the other parties who are bringing their candidates from Mumbai and Abohar,” said Khaira taking a dig at BJP — which is planning to field former BJP MP Vinod Khanna’s wife Kavita Khanna, and the Congress — which has reportedly finalised the candidature of its Punjab unit chief and former Abohar MlA Sunil Jakhar.