In an apparent attempt to project a united front after the discord within the party in Delhi and also in Punjab, the who’s who of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is all set to converge at Talwandi Sabo for its political conference on Tuesday. AAP’s national leader and State party affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh, besides party’s three out of four MPs and other would participate in its ‘first’ conference on Baisakhi at Takht Damadama Sahib.
Party's ‘rebel’ Patiala MP Dr Dharam Vira Gandhi, who had openly criticised AAP national convener for expelling, in an undemocratic way, the two senior leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, is expected to give a miss to the conference. In fact, the AAP’s poster for the conference, on the Facebook, did not carry Gandhi’s picture, while other three MPs — Bhagwant Mann, Prof Sadhu Singh, and Harinder Singh Khalsa — have found prominent place along with party’s State convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur and senior advocate and party leader HS Phoolka.
Even as Dr Gandhi was not available for comments, Chhotepur maintained that conference is of party and all leaders should participate. “Our national leader Sanjay Singh would participate in the conference. Our MPs and other senior leaders would also attend the meet,” Chhotepur told The Pioneer, while feigning ignorance on whether Dr Gandhi would be part of party’s conference.
“We have not sent any special invites to any one. It is party’s event and all leaders and workers would come to attend it on their own. Every one knew that we are having our political conference on Baisakhi,” said Chhotepur. Talking about the conference, Chhotepur said that as Baisakhi festival is related to the farmers who celebrate the harvest of crop, “we would mainly concentrate on the farmers’ specific issues”.
“The farmers are facing worst conditions. They are committing suicides, their crop has been damaged due to unseasonal hailstorm and rains, the Badal Government has done nothing for them…moreover, the NDA’s land acquisition bill would ruin them…we would raise all these issue,” he said. Chhotepur said that the AAP-led Delhi Government has taken a landmark decision by announcing Rs20,000 per acre compensation to the farmers for crop damage, while the SAD-BJP Government has done nothing.
Besides AAP, all other major political parties — Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress, and SAD (Amritsar) — would also hold their political conferences during the four-day Baisakhi Mela, that started on Sunday, at Takht Damdama Sahib. Even as the political conferences have become a regular feature of Baisakhi mela every year, AAP will be holding it for the first time.