Taking a dig at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the protests by its volunteers at a rally in Ludhiana on Wednesday, the Punjab Congress has asked how a party that cannot manage its handful of volunteers hope to run a large state like Punjab, especially given its shameful track record of governance in Delhi.Reacting to reports of volunteers protesting against what they termed as wrong seat allocation in Jagraon assembly constituency, allegedly in exchange of money, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) leaders on Thursday said it was bad enough for AAP that its rallies were a no-show. But now, with protesting volunteers and workers taking centrestage at all AAP rallies, the situation reflects a total loss of face for the party in Punjab, they said.In a statement, PPCC leaders Pargat Singh, Inderbir Singh Bolaria and Sunil Dutti said the growing dissidence within AAP extends beyond what can be considered normal during ticket allocation for polls. The entire party is in a shambles, with volunteers and workers openly alleging scams and scandals against the party leadership, including national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, they pointed out, adding that AAP does not deserve to be considered as a serious contender at all for the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls.
The number of AAP leaders and ticket aspirants who have revolted and quit the party accusing the leadership of selling poll tickets and even engaging in drugs and sex scandals can no longer be dismissed as amusing, said the PPCC leaders, adding that with Punjab’s future at stake such serious charges of corruption and other scams and scandals need to be thoroughly probed by the Election Commission.The Punjab Congress leaders pointed to the number of AAP volunteers, including women’s hockey team captain Rajbir Kaur, who had raised the banner of revolt against the party leadership in recent days to express concern at the deep-rooted corruption malaise afflicting AAP.The EC should take serious note of these developments and initiate strict action against the AAP leadership, the PPCC leaders demanded, warning that allowing the party to continue with its ways will not only further vitiate the state’s political atmosphere but will cause irrevocable damage to its future generations in the long run.