New Delhi:
The AAP is “fully committed to the INDIA” opposition bloc, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday, even as leaders of his party and the Congress in Punjab are locked in a bitter row over the arrest of MLA Sukhpal Khaira on drug charges.
Here are the top 10 points in this big story:
Arvind Kejriwal – who this month played down rumors of infighting in INDIA – once again tried to calm the troubled waters. “AAP is committed to INDIA… AAP will not secede from the INDIA alliance,” he told reporters.
However, he also said his party remains committed to the war on drugs. “I have heard that the Punjab Police arrested a Congress leader yesterday. I have no details… you can get that from the police. We have been waging a war on drugs… I will not comment on individual cases, but we are committed to ending addiction.”
Mr Khaira’s arrest in a 2015 drug case has led to a rapidly escalating battle between the AAP and the Congress. Both are part of the INDIA bloc that hopes to work together to defeat the BJP in this year’s state elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. For the latter, they were expected to hold talks for the thirteen parliamentary seats of Punjab.
Earlier today, sources said that Punjab Congress leaders had told their high command that the AAP is targeting senior figures, and referred to the arrests of ex-ministers Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Bharat Bhushan Ashu, and ex-deputy chief minister O.P. Soni. All three were arrested before Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who is now in police custody.
Claiming that he was stopped from meeting Mr Khaira, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Raja Warring attacked both Prime Minister Bhagwant Mann and the police, saying Governor Banwari Lal Purohit had been briefed about the “false case” against the Mr Khaira. “We cannot remain silent. We will fight until the end…” he declared.
The AAP has rejected claims of a “political vendetta” and has insisted that Sukhpal Khaira’s arrest is part of its “zero tolerance” policy against drugs. AAP Punjab spokesperson said “sufficient admissible evidence” had been found. He accused the previous Shiromani Akali Dal government of failing to arrest Mr Khaira at the time.
As part of INDIA’s plans, the AAP and Congress would split seats in three states: Punjab and Delhi (where the AAP is in power) and BJP-ruled Gujarat, giving a total of 46 seats. However, regional rivalry, at least in the first case, fueled by tensions over Mr Khaira’s arrest, has pushed any deal to the brink of collapse.
Mr Khaira’s arrest was significant as he had been particularly vocal in the protests against any deal with the AAP in the state. He is also the chairman (at national level) of the Congress Kisan Cell and is therefore both a party functionary and a legislator.
In his first comment on the row, Congress national chief Mallikarjun Kharge has said that “if anyone does injustice to us, we are not the ones who will tolerate it”. “I will note the details of it… but whatever the case may be, if someone does injustice, he or she will not survive for long,” he said.
And it’s not just state congressional leaders who refuse to play along; Minister Anmol Gagan Mann has claimed “directions” from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to insist that the AAP will contest all 13 seats. The AAP defeated the Congress in the Punjab Assembly elections last year by 92 seats to 18, a surprising and dominant victory.
With input from agencies
Post comment