Amarinder colluding with Badals to stop AAP: Kejri

LUDHIANA: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal accused Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh of colluding with the Badals against the AAP ahead of Punjab assembly elections.

“Rivals defame each other before elections, but here you find Amarinder and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal targeting the AAP, just to stop it from coming to power in the state,” Kejriwal told the media after releasing the party’s manifesto for trade, industry and transport in Ludhiana on Sunday.

“Why did the Badal regime file the cancelation report in the Amritsar Improvement Trust scam? And why did Amarinder opposed a CBI inquiry into the murky drug trade in Punjab? What is the correlation?” he questioned.

Claiming that his party would win 100 seats, Kejriwal said the Punjab assembly elections would be AAP versus SAD-BJP-Congress combine. “There seems to be an understanding between the Akali-BJP combine and the Congress to play a friendly match in a joint effort to defeat the AAP in elections,” he said.

The AAP convener also targeted the Narendra Modi government for not “ignoring” Punjab in releasing central grants. Posing a query to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, the Delhi CM said: “Has the Union government given any benefit to Punjab till now?”

Addressing the gathering as an AAP supporter, Jagmeet Brar, who has been expelled from the Congress, said Kejriwal was “born Punjabi” as Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966.

“The Akalis and Congress have looting the people of Punjab and are now shielding each other,” Brar said.

Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, party’s Punjab affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh, state convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich, senior leader and party’s Dhaka candidate HS Phoolka and state co-incharge Jarnail Singh also addressed the gathering.

Rivals criticise each other before polls, but here you find Amarinder and SAD president Sukhbir Badal targeting the AAP, just to stop it from coming to power ARVIND KEJRIWAL, Aam Aadmi Party convener and Delhi CM