CHANDIGARH: Senior congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa today claimed that 32 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs are in touch with the grand old party and are just awaiting an opportunity to switch loyalties.
"In the coming months, it will be an Eknath Shinde episode in Punjab. As these legislators are doing advance booking with Congress like public buy tickets for Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh show.’’
Ahead of the two-day special assembly session here, Bajwa alleged that union minister of state for railway Ravneet Singh Bittu is the `bridge’ between the Centre and CM Mann. He also alleged that Bittu facilitates the meetings of the CM with central leaders and by standing outside the official residence of the Chief Minister and protesting he is just enacting a drama.
"My direct allegation is that BJP leadership is in touch with CM Mann through Bittu and they have held secret meetings,’’ he said.
"This government is not going to last, in the next four to five months it will be Eknath Shinde episode with this government when the Maharashtra plane lands in Chandigarh," Bajwa said.
He also said that Mann is in touch with the BJP. "When Arvind Kejriwal will try to remove him (Mann) he will shift his loyalty and Bittu is the bridge who will facilitate the transfer."
He further said that all the people close to Bittu who have been arrested is just a drama and they are given VVIP treatment.
Bajwa said that the government has already fallen in the eyes of the people of Punjab by constantly lying.
Bajwa also launched a scathing attack on the AAP for not calling the session of the assembly in December. "The government has not performed so they have nothing to showcase. For the first time winter session was not called and now this session has been called as special session. But for what ?’’
"The right of the government does not know what the left hand is doing; this is the present state of affairs,’’ he said and accused the state government of delaying the promised honorarium of Rs 1,000 per month, which was pledged before the elections.
Congress MLA Pargat Singh said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann would be changed shortly by the AAP. He lamented that the state government was not willing to hold longer sessions.
After the loss in the Delhi assembly elections, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal has called for a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and MLAs at Kapurthala House in the national capital. The meeting had raised eyebrows. The Congress and BJP had then alleged that the meeting was aimed at ousting Mann from the post of Chief Minister. But AAP leadership then said that the agenda of the meeting was to analyze the party’s shortcomings.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab President Aman Arora launched a scathing attack on Pratap Singh Bajwa, alleging that his transition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is almost certain. Referring to Bajwa’s recent political behavior and alleged secret meetings in Bengaluru, Arora accused him of betraying the mandate and focusing solely on his personal ambitions.
"Pratap Bajwa has already secured his advance booking with the BJP. I urge Rahul Gandhi to question Bajwa about what he was doing in Bengaluru recently and which senior BJP leaders he met there. It’s clear his script is prepared in BJP's offices, much like his brother who already joined the BJP,’’ said Arora.
Arora further said that Bajwa is spreading rumours and indulging in frivolous statements that hold no merit. "The Congress leader doesn’t even know the whereabouts of his own MLAs—he lost Sandeep Jakhar to the BJP, and yet he talks about destabilizing our government. His claims are laughable and lack any factual basis."
Arora said that the AAP government in Punjab has 94 MLAs and even if Bajwa’s imaginary tally of 32 MLAs were subtracted, they would still have 62 MLAs—a comfortable majority.
"Meanwhile, Bajwa’s Congress has just 15 MLAs. If you add another 32 to his count, they still wouldn't be able to form a government. This shows the level of desperation and delusion he’s operating under," added Arora.
He said that the Congress party is in complete disarray and every MLA there aspires to be a chief minister or party president. "Bajwa should spend his energy saving his own sinking ship instead of peddling baseless rumors about our government.’’