MC polls: Behind SAD ‘drama’ a bid to steal AAP’s thunder
STAYING RELEVANT As main opposition, AAP tries to remain in the game, decries Cong govt for ‘throttling’ democracy, the SAD for causing inconvenience to the public
CHANDIGARH: The aggressive posturing by the SAD-BJP combine ahead of the Punjab municipal elections is not just to put the ruling Congress on the defensive but also to emerge as the main rival to it. This is to further push back the main opposition party in the state, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which remains a reluctant player in the civic polls, letting the Akalis steal a march over it.
Unlike the SAD-BJP, the AAP has no municipal corporations or councils to defend, and also lacks the experience and grit of the old rivals to not concede any ground to each other. Moreover, it has little at stake in Majha and Doaba belts, which include Amritsar and Jalandhar municipal corporations, as it won no seats here during the February polls. The party’s Delhi leadership has left it to the state leaders to plan and execute, who, in turn, have passed the baton on to the local leaders by forming nine-member panels.
The AAP is contesting the polls to the three corporations of Amritsar, Patiala and Jalandhar, and some of the 32 nagar councils and panchayats, on the party symbol. In the rest, it has given candidates the “leeway” to contest as independents.
Punjab AAP co-president Aman Arora contends they knew the Congress would try to stonewall or reject nominations of those contesting on the AAP symbol, broom.
“Our fears have come true. The Congress leaders tried to prevent our candidates from filing nominations or their papers were rejected. We have lodged complaints with the state elec- tion commission and district administration. But we are not trying to stage a drama like the SAD-BJP by causing inconvenience to the public,” Arora further said.
But, in the Congress-Akalis slugfest, AAP is now trying to stay in the game.
It released a manifesto for Amritsar on Saturday and will follow it up with one for Jalandhar, and then Patiala. In the nagar councils and panchayats where it is not contesting on the symbol, it is supporting “good candidates” who are contesting as independents.
Taking the high moral ground, the party is bashing both the Congress and the Akalis for clashes.
Punjab AAP chief Bhagwant Mann took a dig at Akali leaders on Saturday by lauding the public for taking them on for blocking roads.
It is also using social media to drive its point home. In a Facebook post, AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu dubbed the conduct of the MC polls as “murder and mockery of democracy”.
Accusing the Congress of preventing candidates of the SAD and the AAP from filing nomination papers or rejecting them “on one pretext of another”, he said, “It exposes the Congress pretence of following a democratic system. Such highhandedness results in people taking the law in their hands. Sadly, when democracy is being throttled, the CM-cum-home minister is busy in self-aggrandisement at the Military Literature Festival.”
Our fears have come true. The Congress leaders tried to prevent our candidates from filing nominations or their papers were rejected. We have lodged complaints.
AMAN ARORA, state AAP co-chief Preventing candidates of SAD and AAP from filing nominations exposes Cong’s pretence. This is exactly what SADBJP had been doing. But surely two wrongs don’t make a right.
KANWAR SANDHU, AAP MLA