Even as Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday declared that the Congress needs no ally in Punjab for 2019 parliamentary polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s State unit has decided to adopt a ‘wait and watch’ policy.
AAP’s Punjab leaders, who met on Tuesday to discuss a slew of issues afflicting the State unit, has decided to “wait” for the suitable time to discuss the issue of alliance with the Congress, while one of its MlA HS Phoolka issued a warning saying that he would quit AAP if it decided to join hand with the Congress.
The meeting was convened by the leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Sukhpal Khaira which was attended by 16 out of the total 20 AAP MlAs — giving a much needed boost to his standing in the party.
Khaira is on collision course with his party colleague and the state unit co-president Dr Balbir Singh. Bholath MlA had accused Dr Balbir of making false allegations, of accepting money from the party workers in Shutrana, in order to remove him from the post of the leader of Opposition.
“We have decided to raise this issue at the party forum only and not in the media. I have presented my case before my fellow MlAs, and we have decided that the issue would not be talked about outside the party forum,” said Khaira after the meeting.
Khaira has reportedly complained to the state party affairs in-charge and Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia against Dr Balbir.
Terming the issue as the “party’s internal matter”, Khaira said he had said a lot on the issue through his official Facebook page. “Whatever I had to say on this issue, I have said that. I don’t have to say anything more on this before media today. The issue is in the knowledge of our party and I will wait for whatever inquiry or anything they initiate in this,” he said.
On the issue of alliance with the Congress, Khaira said that the party MlAs have decided to wait for an “appropriate time”
for holding discussion on the possibility of forming alliance with other parties for the 2019 lok Sabha elections.
AAP’s Sangrur MlA Aman Arora said that the discussion on the possibility of an alliance for general elections was still “premature”. He said: “All the party MlAs said in the meeting that it is not the right time to hold discussion on the alliance. let the appropriate time come, then we will discuss about it.”
Arora said, “When our leadership in Delhi asks about our views, we will tell them after holding a discussion.”