Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday stated that the delay by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal in announcement of his Jalalabad seat was “not without a purpose” but “fearing strong backlash from Rai Sikh community”.
The party, at the same time, alleged that Sukhbir was in “secret talks” with Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh to shift SAD rebel MP Sher Singh Ghubaya’s son, Davinder Singh Ghubaya, from Jalalabad to Fazilka. Davinder had recently joined Congress, and is likely to be fielded from Jalalabad.
“The delay in announcement of his Jalalabad seat by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal is not without a purpose and the reasons put forward by the latter for not announcing the name of his seat are illogical and merely delaying tactics to strike a deal with PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh to secure his seat,” said AAP’s Punjab convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich (Ghuggi) and party’s campaign committee in-charge and MP Bhagwant Mann, in a joint statement.
They claimed that Sukhbir Badal was “not feeling secure” to contest from his home constituency Jalalabad and fearing strong backlash of Rai Sikh community which is grossly annoyed with the Badal family.
Ghuggi and Maan stated that Sukhbir was not sure to win from Jalalabad in the given political circumstances from where AAP has thrown a challenge to Badal family. “Sukhbir had initially tried to arm twist Ghubaya by conducting vigilance raid on the college run by his family. Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal even humiliated Ghubaya by asking him to leave the party if he was not getting respect and described him a ‘thankless person’,” they added.
AAP leaders said that Rai Sikhs, which are in majority in the Jalalabad constituency, would never vote for the Badals after Sher Singh Ghubaya had announced that he would not campaign for SAD.
“Politically powerful Rai Sikh community has strong presence in Jalalabad and feel betrayed by SAD,” they claimed.
AAP leaders once again challenged Sukhbir to contest from Jalalabad and not to run after Capt Amarinder to political patronage. “If Congress commits this blunder, it would endorse the AAP stand that Capt Amarinder and Sukhbir Badal are fighting assembly election in collusion with each other against AAP,” they said.