By Janhvi Ahuja
Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of AAP, met with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other MLAs from the state on Tuesday to discuss and settle the claimed rift between the party and BJP.
On the same day, Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa made a statement on the AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and his decision to meet with the MLAs of the party. He mentioned that the move to keep a meeting shortly after the Delhi elections certainly showed that the party would break soon.
Randhawa also said to ANI that, “The results were declared on February 8, and the movement already started. Calling a meeting so soon shows that they will break soon. There will be mid-term polls in Punjab. When a party loses, there is a discussion within the state; other states are called. They are worried that what happened in Delhi will repeat in Punjab.”
The opposition parties also raised questions regarding Kejriwal and AAP’s move to use the Kapurthala House, which is the official residence of the Punjab CM that is located in New Delhi. Randhawa also added to this, stating that the meeting should have taken place in Punjab. He said, “Only one person would have needed to come here. The chopper and the chartered plane of Punjab would have been used to get him here. The people of Punjab would also have been able to see him.”
Randhawa said that he raised the issues of repetitive grenade attacks and prominent terrorism that is still prevalent in Punjab. There, he pointed out in the Parliament that the state was under apathy and needed a sense of relief.
“If Kejriwal is holding a meeting immediately after the defeat, then it has a different meaning. He has lost Delhi, so he should call Delhi leaders and brainstorm, but Punjab MLAs have been called. Both his models, Punjab and Delhi, have failed,” Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aluja mentioned.
Punjab, as a border state, has been subjected to a lot of scrutiny from its neighbouring states that are constantly trying to destroy the peace and harmony of the state. The rift that has escalated between APP and BJP further adds to the grim situation.