Punjab will support AAP in 2022 'Kejriwal vs all' assembly poll: Chadha

Seeking to dub the 2022 assembly poll as a "Kejriwal vs all" affair, AAP leader Raghav Chadha on Tuesday claimed the people of Punjab know it and will support his party.

All rival political parties in Punjab will again fight the assembly elections together to stop his party from coming to power but the people of Punjab will not let this happen as they all are in favour of his party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal, elaborated Chaddha in an interaction with reporters here.

The AAP's co-in-charge of Punjab affairs also claimed that during the 2017 Punjab assembly polls, various political parties, including the Akali Dal and the BJP, had "transferred" their votes to the Congress party to stop the AAP from forming government in the state.

"We fear that this time too, all political parties will again fight assembly elections together to stop AAP and Arvind Kejriwal," alleged Chadha.

"But I want to make it clear that the people of Punjab have come to know that this election is 'Kejriwal vs all' and people of Punjab are with Kejriwal and not with them (other political parties)," said Chadha.

Chadha was replying to a question on former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh party's possible seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP for the upcoming assembly polls.

Replying to another question, he said the AAP will soon announce another list of candidates for the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.

The Aam Aadmi Party has already announced 10 party candidates who all are AAP's sitting MLAs.

Replying to a question on Navjot Singh Sidhu's criticism of Kejriwal for not having even one woman in his Cabinet, Chadha asked the Punjab Congress chief to first ask Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi how much does he respect women.

"I want to tell Sidhu Sahab that before questioning us, he should speak to the Punjab chief minister and ask him how much does he respect women," said Chadha, apparently referring to an allegation by a woman IAS officer in 2018 that Channi, then a minister in the Amarinder Singh government, had sent some "inappropriate" text messages to her.

Though the woman IAS officer had lodged no formal complaint in the matter, Punjab's State Women Commission chairperson Manisha Gulati had in May this year sought a clarification from the then Chief Minister Amarinder Singh over the allegation against Channi.

"Just sit down with Channi sahab one day and ask what he has done for the respect of women which you know and I know as well… take account of it and then question Kejriwal Sahab," retorted Chadha.

Chadha, who is an MLA from Delhi, also asked Channi to provide Scheduled Caste (SC) families with five marla plots of land and financial assistance of Rs one crore to the families of SC employees, who lost their lives while discharging duties during the Covid pandemic.

He said if Channi did not do so, the AAP will do it after forming government in Punjab after the 2022 assembly elections.

Chadha was accompanied by leader of opposition in the state assembly Harpal Singh Cheema.

He said the Congress had promised five marla plots to the SC families.

Chadha said only the AAP government in Delhi is giving financial compensation of Rs one crore to the SC employees who died while discharging duties during COVID-19 pandemic.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)