AAP abandoned its ideology, says Khaira

Senior Congress leader and Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira visited the residence of suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh on Thursday, to express solidarity with him.

Although the visit was seen as an attempt to coax the AAP MLA join the Congress, both Khaira and Kunwar Vijay Pratap termed it a personal meeting.

Addressing media jointly, both leaders criticised Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP. Khaira said, “The AAP has abandoned its ideology. Its MLAs are busy buying properties and constructing farmhouses. One of its MLAs, who was once highlighted as a poster boy as he was a mobile phone repair mechanic, is now building a farmhouse spread over several acres.”

Khaira said while the AAP accuses others of corruption, its leaders faced similar charges and were jailed. “Kunwar has been punished for speaking the truth. The AAP has always punished leaders who have spoken the truth and destroyed their careers, while attempting to assassinate their character,” said Khaira.

When asked about possibility of Kunwar Vijay Pratap joining the Congress, Khaira said it was neither in his power and nor was the right time to join the party, as Kunwar was an MLA elected by the people of Amritsar. “Kunwar should continue to serve his constituents,” he said.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap said he had no intention of joining politics when he resigned from his office. “Kejriwal and Raghav Chadha used to call me daily to persuade me to join the AAP. I finally joined them when they promised to help in getting justice for desecration of Guru Granth Sahib and the Bargari shooting case,” he said.

Kunwar said he was accused of indiscipline, but the truth was that the AAP had no discipline. “I didn’t support SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, but I questioned how the government handled the whole issue,” he said.

Punjab