Amid Oppn pressure, AAP campaign goes full throttle
SANGRUR: Amid Opposition’s attack against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party for increasing crime in Punjab, including the recent killing of singer-politician Sidhu Moose Wala, the AAP on Sunday intensified its campaign for the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll by bringing in Cabinet ministers and MLAs to seek votes in favour of its candidate from the constituency.
The Cabinet ministers and AAP legislators have started campaigning for party nominee Gurmail Singh and are seeking votes in the name of development works and announcements made by the government since it came to power nearly three months ago.
Besides lashing out at AAP’s policies, the opposition leaders have been attacking the government over the singer’s killing, saying that he was killed a day after his security was downgraded. The bypoll for the Sangrur constituency, which is considered as a stronghold of the AAP as chief minister Bhagwant Mann has won the seat twice with a margin of over one lakh votes, is scheduled for June 23.
AAP strategises, forms teams
According to the party, it has formed 9 teams, comprising 9 MLAs and a minister in each team. All the teams have been given a responsibility for each assembly constituency. They are going door to door and addressing ‘nukad meetings’ in villages and towns in the constituency.
AAP has deployed Cabinet minister Brahma Shankar Jimpa at Sangrur assembly constituency, Harbhajan Singh ETO at Malerkotla, Lal Chand Kataruchakk at Sunam, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal at Dhuri, Dr Baljeet Kaur at Bhadaur, Harjot Singh Bains at Mehal Kalan and Laljit Singh Bhullar at Lehra.
Cabinet minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Gurmit Singh Meet Hayer are to lead the campaign in their own assembly constituency Dirba and Barnala respectively. “Now opponents talk about gangsters, but the gangsters were groomed under the patronage of their governance. Punjab was known as ‘Golden Bird’ (sonay di chidi) in the past for its prosperity and rich culture. However, now the situation is so grim because previous governments looted it and filled their own coffers,” Zira MLA Naresh Katariya said.
Advocate Rajneesh Dahiya, MLA from Ferozepur (Rural) said, “the Congress has no issue to take up and go to the people. They are just contesting for their existence. The BJP, on the other hand, is a washing machine in which the corrupt leaders go and clean up themselves.”
While addressing a meeting, Cabinet minister Harbhajan Singh ETO, said, “the AAP government during its two-and-ahalf-month tenure has done the development work that the other parties do in the last three months of their tenure. The AAP has been in Parliament from Sangrur constituency since 2014. We must not let this occupation go out and help Gurmail Singh in securing a win with a big margin.”