AAP’S show of strength in Sukhbir constituency

TWO DAYS after it sacked Sucha Singh Chhotepur as its convener in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a massive show of strength in Jalalabad, the constituency of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, in a bid to demonstrate that the party’s internal wars had not affected its capacity to bring in crowds.

According to the AAP, at estimated 25,000 people gathered in Jalalabad’s Dana Mandi Sunday to listen to Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, the main speaker.

For Mann, it was a personal vindication of sorts, after a attack on him by Chhotepur.

The actor-turned-politician used the occasion to challenge Sukhbir once again to a head-tohead electoral contest, underlining that he is now the party’s main Sikh face in Punjab.

Mann, who focused more on the Badals and less on the Chhotepur episode, said the “huge gathering” was a proof of the sentiments of masses towards the AAP.

He said, “We are going to win all the 117 seats and the rival parties, SAD-BJP and Congress, should be ready to get their security deposits forfeited. Today’s gathering must be making them sleepless.”

“Our party was formed to weed out corruption and we stand by it. Once a sting operation against former state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur showed him accepting money in lieu of party tickets, the party took no time to suspend him. We have zero tolerance to corruption and no one will be spared if found guilty for corruption,” he said.

The main issues for AAP in this poll, he said, were “corruption, unemployment and drugs”.