Fund crunch hits Punjab AAP, Delhi refuses bailout

Wednesday 11th October 2017 06:29 EDT
 

CHANDIGARH: Fund crunch hits Punjab AAP, Delhi refuses bailout. The central leadership has virtually deserted the party as the state unit struggles to keep going. A senior leader said they had recently approached the main leadership in Delhi asking them to provide some funds for the by-election. The request was, however, plainly turned down stating they themselves were short of funds.

The leader said state party members even requested the high command to lend them some money, promising to return it after the elections, “but that too was turned down”. Sources said when the poll campaign was at its peak, the party had just Rs 10,000 with them. Some senior leaders then contributed money from their own pocket to run the campaign. He said the state unit does not have its independent bank account. “So whatever money comes from Punjab goes to the account controlled by Delhi. Leave aside providing funds for the election, they have been asking us about contribution from Punjab,” he said.

Sources said the issue did not affect the funds, but AAP's top leadership wanting to teach the state unit a lesson for blaming Delhi leaders for a debacle in the Assembly elections. The state unit lately, picked the by-election candidate on their own, going against guidelines of the high command. The leadership did not take it in an accepting way. “That is why they cold shouldered the Punjab unit. They not only refused funds, but also none from Delhi campaigned in Gurdaspur. We have been deserted by them.”

Meanwhile, AAP leaders are joining the BJP. Former party leader Joginder Chinna, who had contested the Punjab assembly polls from Dinanagar seat, joined the BJP, accusing AAP's Punjab unit chief Bhagwant Mann of converting the party into a “private company”. He along with his supporters, took BJP's membership in the presence of the party's national vice-president Prabhat Jha and state secretary Vineet Joshi. He accused the Aam Aadmi Party of straying from its ideals. “In order to defeat the Congress in Gurdaspur bypoll, I and my colleagues have decided to join the BJP and ensure Swaran Salaria's (BJP candidate) victory from the seat,” Chinna said.

Other AA members to have joined the BJP are Dinanagar market committee's former chairman Tarsem Singh Malkachak, AAP's block president Pratap Singh Jethuwal, party's district general secretary Balwinder Singh Dalia, district organising secretary Shivjinder Singh Dala, and district secretary Kala Singh Sahewal.


comments powered by Disqus



to the free, weekly Asian Voice email newsletter