Chandigarh, Nov 2 With three AAP MLAs joining the BJP, the Punjab Congress on Monday said the ruling party is a “sinking ship” and more of its leaders will leave in the future.
Speaking to reporters here, Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh likened the AAP to a “wall of sand” and claimed that it will collapse once a few bricks start coming loose.
In a setback to the AAP, Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap, Sanaur MLA Pathanmajra and Samana MLA Chetan Singh Jouramajra joined the BJP in Delhi on Monday, days after the Arvind Kejriwal-led party released a list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab assembly elections.
The Punjab Congress chief alleged that leaders facing questions over mining and other activities are now moving towards the BJP.
“Those who remained silent on Punjab’s issues throughout nearly five years in power cannot escape accountability simply by switching political parties,” Singh said.
The AAP had projected Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh as its poster boy, but did not allow him to speak or work freely, the Congress leader charged.
“(AAP leaders) Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain came from Delhi and used their influence over the Punjab government. They are responsible for an alleged loot of around Rs 50,000 crore from the state,” Singh alleged.
He claimed that the AAP replicated its “Delhi model” in Punjab, sidelining the “self-respect” and political leadership of Punjabis while keeping control of the government in the national capital.
Kejriwal is now retreating from Punjab, but Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will have to answer politically for the consequences, the state Congress chief said.
Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa said that scrapping the Land Pooling Scheme had saved Punjab from a potential loss and alleged a loot of around Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
Questioning the role of the ED and the CBI, Singh and Bajwa expressed apprehension that the BJP could use central investigative agencies to intimidate opposition leaders and exert political pressure as elections approach.
Bajwa appealed to Congress workers not to succumb to any pressure and to stand firmly against the alleged political misuse of these agencies.
(PTI News)
