The broom wants to make a clean sweep in Punjab in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Arvind Kejriwal’s name. Bereft of a leader it can project as the Chief Minister, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is asking people to poll for its candidates on 117 Assembly seats for making its national convener Kejriwal victorious in the elections.
If the BJP made it big across the country in 2014 parliamentary polls by asking people to vote for Narendra Modi, AAP, it seems, wants to win the Punjab Assembly elections by soliciting votes in the name of Kejriwal, who is presently Delhi Chief Minister.
Encouraged by the fact that the voters in Delhi voted for Kejriwal rather than individual candidates for bringing the party to power with full majority, its Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday took the Punjab politics with storm by asking he people to vote for AAP assuming that they are voting for Kejriwal.
“Punjab voters have the opportunity to vent out their outburst on February 4. I appeal to the people to vote as if they are voting for Kejriwal,” said Sisodia during a party campaign at Mohali.
“One brother was asking me here who will become CM of Punjab, I said you keep believing that Arvind Kejriwal will be the CM…whoever becomes the CM, it will be responsibility of Kejriwal to fulfil whatever promises that have been made,” he said.
Sisodia said that Kejriwal will uphold all of AAP’s promises to the people of Punjab irrespective of who becomes the chief minister. “The MlAs will decide on the party’s candidate on the position,” he said adding that their vote belongs to Kejriwal.
The rival political parties, including the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress, deduced it as a potential indication that the AAP national convenor might be running for the Chief Ministerial post.
Wasting no time, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal was quick to tweet, “By asking people to vote for Arvind Kejrwal as CM of Punjab, Sisodia has exposed their plan. AAP has proven it doesn’t trust Punjabis”.
It was followed by one tweet after another. “Cat is out of the bag. Recent events prove that Kejri wanted to be CM all along & was only fooling people with misleading statements,” tweeted Sukhbir on his official Twitter handle.
Sukhbir further tweeted, “@ArvindKejriwal is fond of U turns & lies. He earlier said that a Punjabi will be party CM candidate. Now he has jumped into fray himself.”
“With Haryanvi Kejriwal as CM candidate, what will be fate of SYl, Chd as well as Punjabi speaking areas of Punjab still left in HaryanaIJ” he added.
The state Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh was not behind in taking on his rival in day-to-day verbal duel on Twitter. “After months of beating around the bush, truth of Arvind Kejriwal and his nefarious ambitions come out,” tweeted the former chief minister.
AAP, amidst all the criticism, maintained that Sisodia has been “misquoted”.
“Kejriwal is the face of AAP, and votes are being asked in the name of Kejriwal. This is an electoral strategy...Other parties do the same,” said AAP’s Atishi Marlena.
Kejriwal was first elected chief minister of Delhi in December 2013, but dubbed as “bhagoda” as he stepped down from the post after 49 days in power. His party was re-elected in the national capital in February 2015 by securing 67 out of 70 assembly seats.
The party, however, washed out in the entire country during 2014 parliamentary polls, except Punjab where it bagged four seats, equal to ruling SAD and one more than the Congress.