SANGRUR: Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal's five-day visit to Punjab was full of protests from both, rival parties and AAP workers. With new members joining the party, senior volunteers reportedly feel ignored. Lakhdeep Bawa, an AAP worker from Gandua village in Sangrur, said, “I worked hard for Bhagwant Mann’s election (as MP) and was appointed as coordinator of this village. But Mann and his aides never call us for any party activities. Even during Kejriwal’s visit in Sangrur, I came on my own. If this continues, I will stop working for the party.”
Party members Jagtar Singh and Gurjant Singh added, “Mann won by 238 votes from Gobindgarh Jejian and you imagine, he never visited this village even once since. Two years have passed by now and we have visited his party office a number of times to put in a request to visit the village just once.” Adding, “The party is inducting new leaders without thinking and even without checking their credentials, due to which senior and hard working workers are being ignored and this is causing widespread resentment within the party.” Another AAP worker, Chamkaur Singh Khokhar said, “It seems that even AAP leaders are working like those of other political parties and they are now visiting villages just to seek votes. Mann never did any development work in our village.”
Some workers raised a totally different issue. “There is no active women wing of AAP in this area. The party needs to work hard on setting up a women's wing as they are the ones who can interact with women voters.” Mann, however, said, “Some differences exist in a family at times. But overall, the party workers have a harmonious relationship with leaders. Volunteers need not panic.” AAP Punjab convenor Sucha Singh Chhotepur said, “I have not yet heard of any discontent among party workers. In case they are unhappy, they should come and speak to us directly.”
