Emerging as an alternative to the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP combine ahead of the Assembly polls in the State, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, seems, to have hit one self goal after the other.
Youth Manifesto row, Ashish Khetan’s holy scriptures’ comparison, party MP Bhagwant Mann’s live streaming of Parliament’s security checks, followed by its State convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur’s cash sting — the party continuously bogged down by its own leaders.
But, Chhotepur’s row followed by his outburst against the party leadership has apparently demolished party’s dreams of forming the next Government in Punjab in 2017. Party’s candidate against stalwarts like BJP’s Vinod Khanna and Congress’ Partap Singh Bajwa from Gurdaspur lok Sabha seat, Chhotepur has a vast political experience of more than 30 years. He has been associated with the party since 2014 polls.
Despite contesting 2014 election unsuccessfully, the AAP wasted no time to announce him as State convener, ignoring the likes of Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, renowned lawyer HS Phoolka, and others, owing to his clean image and being party’s one of prominent Sikh face.
Already in dearth of a prominent Sikh leader to project as party’s face for Punjab polls next year, the
party is all set to lose a Sikh leader with Chhotepur’s ouster.
The allegations and counter allegations in cash sting row has also brought into light the wide gap between the State and Central leadership. Chhotepur alleged that people in delhi are running the party with leaders in Punjab having no control over it.
The same was evidently clear with the humiliation he party suffered for equating party manifesto with Sikhs’ holy scripture Guru Granth Sahib and also carrying broom’s picture over Sikhs’ holiest shrine, Darbar Sahib.
AAP’s rivals have all along been blaming the party being run by the “outsiders” like Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, Durgesh Pathak, Ashish Khetan, and others.
REBElS WITHIN
The rebels within the party, including sitting MPs Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, and Harinder Khalsa, have been doing much damage to the party’s campaign.
While Patiala MP, Gandhi has declared to form “Punjab-oriented” forum and announcing its name in the coming weeks, Fatehgarh Sahib MP Khalsa has also announced to support AAP’s “disgruntled” volunteer’s party instead of AAP.
Both leaders, suspended for “anti-party” activities in August 2015, did not leave any opportunity to take on their own party affecting its poll prospects.
BREWING DISCONTENTMENT OVER TICKETS
Discontentment is brewing within Punjab unit of AAP over ticket distribution. The party has, so far, released two lists announcing the names of 32 candidates out of total 117 — leaving many volunteers and party workers upset for “ignoring” them.
Chhotepur had also raised his voice for ignoring real party volunteers and workers in ticket distribution and giving ticket to those having close connection with the Delhi Durbar. Already, Gandhi and Khalsa have announced to form separate parties, with the support of party’s disgruntled workers and volunteers.
SUSPENSE OVER SIDHU
The AAP was elated soon as the news of former parliamentarian Navjot Singh Sidhu resigning from Rajya Sabha broke out. But as the former cricketer decided to play defensive and AAP not conforming to his conditions, the hype he created has fizzled out with time.
The news of Sidhu joining the AAP has turned into speculations of the three-time MP joining the Congress. Another googly for AAP!
AAP’s rivals had accepted that in case Sidhu had decided to hold the broom, it would have altered the entire political equation in the State.
The party which made the grand surprise entry in Punjab political arena by shocking the traditional political parties — the Congress, the SAD and the BJP — by bagging four seats out of 13 in its first ever lok Sabha polls, is currently fighting to save its image.