In a setback to the Congress forward of the Lok Sabha polls, senior get together chief from Punjab and MLA Raj Kumar Chabbewal on Friday stop the get together and joined the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.
The 54-year-old Chabbewal stop as a legislator from the Chabbewal meeting constituency within the Hoshiarpur district. He was additionally the Deputy Leader of Opposition within the Punjab Assembly.
The distinguished Dalit chief joined the AAP right here and was welcomed into the get together fold by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Chabbewal is the second Congress chief from Punjab to hitch the AAP inside every week.
Gurpreet Singh GP, a former Congress MLA from Bassi Pathana, had lately joined the AAP.
The AAP, which named its candidates for eight of the 13 Lok Sabha seats on Thursday, is more likely to discipline him from the Hoshiarpur reserved parliamentary constituency.
Speaking to reporters right here within the presence of Punjab ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Chabbewal mentioned he’s impressed with the pro-people insurance policies of the AAP authorities, particularly for the poor and weaker sections.
He additionally mentioned the AAP authorities is following the trail and beliefs of Dr B R Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
The principal focus of the AAP authorities is schooling and well being and a number of other steps have been taken in these fields, he mentioned.
Punjab Congress leaders slammed Chabbewal calling him an opportunist.
“Such a shameful deed was not at all expected from him. I urge the people of Punjab to teach such defectors a lesson in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections,” senior Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa, who’s Leader of Opposition within the Assembly, mentioned.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring mentioned “People have become opportunists”.
Congress gave him due respect whereas he was within the get together. He was deputy chief of the Congress within the state, Warring mentioned.
Just a couple of days in the past, he got here down closely on the AAP authorities, Warring mentioned, including that Punjabis by no means aspect with “disloyal people”.
In a put up in Punjabi on X, the AAP state unit mentioned the get together has been additional strengthened with the becoming a member of of Chabbewal.
Impressed by the pro-people insurance policies of Mann, Chabbewal has joined the AAP, and the AAP posted together with photographs of Chabbewal being welcomed by the CM.
Chabbewal had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Hoshiarpur on a Congress ticket however had misplaced to the BJP’s Som Prakash.
He has prior to now been vocal in opposition to the AAP authorities on numerous fronts. Recently, he mentioned that Punjab is going through critical points, together with mounting debt and drug issues.
In the lately held price range session of the Punjab Assembly, Chabbewal had carried a bale on his head to spotlight, in a symbolic method, the state’s mounting debt.
In one other symbolic transfer, he had additionally introduced an iron chain to the House to induce the AAP MLAs to limit themselves to their properties, saying that the day isn’t far when the folks will begin elevating slogans in opposition to them given the legislation and order scenario.
When identified that he had carried a bale and introduced an iron chain, Chabbewal informed reporters that these have been symbolic gestures and as an opposition member it was his proper to carry a protest.
Chabbewal additionally mentioned that he has seen days of poverty and it has all the time been his dream to dedicate his life to serving the poor.
“I have seen days of poverty. My late father was a peon in a bank and it was his dream that he should give a good education to his children,” he mentioned.
“In joining politics my sole aim was the welfare of the poor and to work for them,” he mentioned.
On his Congress stint, he mentioned, “I remained in the Congress for 12 years. After a gap of 45 years, the Congress won the Chabbewal seat in 2017. Later, despite AAP wave in 2022, I won the seat again”.
He mentioned he was impressed with the pro-poor insurance policies of this authorities. Every poor ought to get a roof over his head and this authorities is working to make sure that, he mentioned.
“I will work as a dedicated soldier of the party,” he mentioned.
When requested if he’s a contender for the Lok Sabha ticket from Hoshiarpur, he mentioned, “Whatever role the party assigns me, I will do that”.
Finance Minister Cheema mentioned Chabbewal’s becoming a member of reveals how robust AAP is at floor stage in Punjab and within the nation.
“It is a matter of joy and happiness that he has bid goodbye to the wrong policies of Congress and accepted the pro-people policies of AAP. We welcome him into our party fold,” Cheema mentioned.
Meet Hayer mentioned that the opposition additionally is aware of that good work is being carried out by the AAP authorities.
Hayer mentioned Chabbewal’s transfer to hitch the AAP will particularly strengthen the get together within the Doaba area.
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had on Monday launched his get together’s marketing campaign in Punjab and requested folks to make sure his get together’s victory on all 13 Lok Sabha seats to lift their voices in Parliament.
The AAP, a constituent of the INDIA bloc, is preventing the Lok Sabha elections alone in Punjab. The AAP and the Congress have sealed a seat-sharing deal for Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, Gujarat, Goa and Haryana however determined to contest individually in Punjab contemplating the “special circumstances” within the state.
(Only the headline and movie of this report might have been reworked by the Business Standard employees; the remainder of the content material is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Mar 16 2024 | 7:50 AM IST
