AAP MP Gandhi targets Chhotepur

PATIALA: A day after Patiala member of Parliament (MP), Dharamvira Gandhi, was directly attacked during an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) public meeting in his own hometown, the war of words between Gandhi and the state leadership continued after Gandhi questioned the credentials of state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur and Patiala zone coordinator Balbir Singh.

In a fight for principles, Gandhi, along with his colleague and Fatehgarh Sahib MP, Harinder Singh Khalsa, accused Chhotepur and Punjab observer Sanjay Singh of hijacking the party by restructuring the state unit in an arbitrary manner.

“Persons having dubious political and social credentials, who have nothing in common with the ideology of the AAP, cannot lead Punjab’s struggle against the tyrannical rule of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance or the Indian National Congress ( INC) in the 2017 assembly election,” said Gandhi.

It should be mentioned that the AAP’s public meeting held on Thursday was geared towards zeroing in on Gandhi and containing his influence as he has adopted an aggressive approach in criticising state par ty leaders.

In a direct attack on the state leadership, Gandhi called Chhotepur a political opportunist. “With persons like Chhotepur, who is infamous for switching parties, at the helm of affairs, the AAP will surely find it difficult to project itself as the party with a difference,” said Gandhi. He also accused Chhotepur of creating factionalism in the state unit by appointing his stooges and sycophants like Balbir Singh in Patiala to derail the party from focussing on its real objectives.

Pertinently, Balbir was once a key strategist of Gandhi during the 2014 Lok Sabha election but distanced himself from Gandhi after being denied the party ticket to contest the Patiala by-election.