AAP and Cong playing constitutional and democratic fraud on Punjabis – Sukhbir  Badal

(Asserts Sukhpal Khaira and two other MLAs shifted to Cong camp in presence of CM as part of fixed match between AAP and Cong)

Chandigarh, June 3 – Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were playing a fixed match and that AAP had continuously allowed its MLAs to shift their loyalties to the Congress party as part of an unofficial tie up with it. He termed this as a constitutional and democratic fraud perpetrated on people of the State.

Reacting to Bholath legislator Sukhpal Khaira and two other AAP legislators Jagdev Singh Kamalu and Pirmal Singh Khalsa joining the Congress camp in the presence of chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh today, the SAD President said “this proves beyond any doubt the Congress and AAP are one and the same. The Congress routinely takes AAP legislators on deputation as and when needed, particularly during elections, and has now again taken three legislators on board during a time when chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh is facing a challenge to his chair”.

 Badal said it was shocking that all constitutional requirements had been thrown to the winds with turncoat AAP legislators allowed to keep their seats in the Vidhan Sabha only because they were supporting the Congress government. He said AAP legislators were allowed to keep their membership of the Vidhan Sabha despite leaving the parent party, forming new parties and even switching over to the Congress openly. “This is also a democratic fraud on the people who elected these members as AAP legislators”.

Giving the instance of Sukhpal Khaira,  Badal said Khaira, who was elected to the Vidhan Sabha on the AAP ticket, left the party to form his own outfit – Punjab Ekta Party in January 2019. He said after this Khaira had even contested the Bathinda Lok Sabha elections as a PEP candidate and even lost his security deposit. “However instead of being suspended from the assembly Khaira was allowed to continue as a member because he did all this at the instance of the Congress party. Now when the chief minister’s chair is in trouble Khaira and two other legislators – Kamalu and Pirmal have again jumped into the fray to help him. All this proves that AAP, which is already functioning as a B team of the Congress party, is in an unofficial alliance with the Congress in Punjab”.