Sukhbir jibe at Chhotepur: No room for rejects

The AAP has arrived at an understanding with radicals to wrest control of the SGPC. All AAP leaders are minting money.

LUDHIANA: Lashing out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said not only Sucha Singh Chhotepur, all members of the party were minting money in the name of elections. He said there was no place for rejected people in the Akali Dal, so no question of inviting Chhotepur to join the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

“All AAP leaders, including Punjab affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh are minting money. Jo paise dega, use hi ticket milegi (the one who pays will get the party ticket),” Sukhbir said on the sidelines of a meeting with traders at Nirvana Club in Ludhiana on Friday.

The deputy CM said half of the AAP candidates, who have been allotted tickets, have a criminal background. He also accused party’s national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal of a tie-up with radicals in the state for vested interests. “The AAP is playing a dangerous game in the state. We have evidence that they have committed to the radical groups,” he said.

“The Aam Aadmi Party has struck a deal with hardliners who want to take control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. In return, the radicals will help the AAP win elections. MLA Jarnail Singh, co-convenor of AAP’s Punjab unit, even tacitly backed the demands of separatist forces on the foreign soil,” he added.

Sukhbir said the AAP should be renamed “solid waste management company” as they are managing the waste of all other parties.

(We will give the contract to clean Ludhiana to the AAP),” he said, adding that the party leaders resemble a bunch of ragtag leaders.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to woo industrialists ahead of assembly elections, Sukhbir exempted the industrial units from condition of no-objection certificate for grant of new power connections. The issue of release of power connections to industrial units in the mixed land use and residential areas was hanging fire for the past several months despite agitation by affected units.

Leaving hundreds of medium, small and tiny industrial units located in the mixed land use pockets in the lurch, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had in June taken a about turn on the grant of new connections or extension of existing load without change of land use (CLU) charges or no objection certificate (NOC).

There was widespread resentment among the members of industry against the PSPCL and the state government.