New Delhi, Feb 11: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday dismissed speculation of dissent within AAP’s state unit, asserting that Congress leaders have a history of switching parties while AAP leaders remain dedicated.
Mann’s remarks came after Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa claimed that over 30 AAP MLAs were in touch with his party.
“Switching sides is Congress’ culture,” Mann said while addressing media after attending a meeting of Punjab ministers and MLAs with AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal at Kapurthala House in New Delhi.
“They (Congress) talk about others but do not worry about themselves. I will ask Pratap Singh Bajwa how many MLAs they have in Delhi,” the Punjab CM charged.
“Bajwa has made such claims for years, let him say it… He should not count our MLAs and instead, see how many MLAs Congress has in Delhi,” he said.
The meeting comes days after AAP’s major defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections, sparking speculation about instability in its Punjab unit.
Mann reiterated the unity within AAP, saying, “He (Bajwa) has made such claims earlier as well that 20 or 40 MLAs are in touch with him. Let them say it… We have formed this party with our sweat and blood, by going among people in the villages and towns in the state.” Meanwhile, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal took a dig at Kejriwal and said, “Some people have started treating Punjab as their personal ATM. Today, massive corruption is rampant in Punjab.” “There is blatant sand mining at different places, corruption is there in transfer postings. People of Punjab and several MLAs are angry on this. Arvind Kejriwal has appointed his goon Bibhav Kumar as the chief advisor of Punjab CM,” she said.
Ever since Kejriwal faced defeat in Delhi, he is planning to go to Punjab to “keep his politics alive”, Maliwal charged. (PTI)
