Delhi Congress veteran joins AAP; CM says more to come
Sawhney said he appreciated the work AAP had done in Delhi
NEWDELHI: Senior Delhi Congress leader Parlad Singh Sawhney joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday at a press conference at the party’s head office, where the Delhi chief minister welcomed the four-time Chandni Chowk MLA into the party fold.
Sawhney was elected MLA four times from Chandni Chowk assembly segment between 1998 and 2013. In 2015, he lost the seat to AAP’S Alka Lamba.
“I have no desire for power or an election ticket. I appreciate the development work that AAP has done, especially in the fields of education, health, power and transport,” Sawhney said.
He added, “You do not need to tell the people of Delhi to vote for AAP. They will tell you on their own that they will vote for AAP in the elections. They are very happy that Kejriwal delivered on promises that electricity bills will halve and water will be free.”
Welcoming Sawhney, Kejriwal, the party’s national convener, said, “There are a lot of good leaders in other parties who are looking forward to joining the AAP. I want to tell them that it is the best time to do so.”
At least five other Congress members, including former office bearers and youth wing leaders, accompanied Sawhney and joined the AAP in the presence of Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, the party’s newly appointed in-charge for Delhi assembly elections, likely to be slated for early-2020.
Delhi Congress spokesperson Jitender Kochar said, “The Congress is a 125-year-old party which has seen several ups and downs. Many have left, many have joined. Such episodes hardly affect the party.”
AAP began its preparations for the elections with a range of programmes, from mobilising booth workers to organising public meetings to woo the city’s Purvanchali community.