Tarn Taran: Setback for Congress as 12 sarpanches, others join AAP

Tarn Taran, February 1

The Congress received a severe jolt on Tuesday when 12 sarpanches, two block samiti members and others, under the leadership of Munish Kumar, alias Monu Cheema, party’s zila parishad member, joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Besides, nine panchayat members of Adda Chabal too joined the AAP leaving the ruling Congress. Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of the Delhi Government, welcomed the Congress leaders to the party on his visit to Amritsar today.

Cheema said the block samiti members who joined the AAP were Diljodh Singh and Sukhdev Singh, while the sarpanches of the border area who have left the Congress included Baldev Singh Pattu (Jhabal Pukhta), Harpreet Singh (Jhabal Khurd ),Gurdeep Singh (Jhabal Kalan), Vishali (Cheema Kalan), Jughar Singh (Manakpur) , Tejinderpal Singh (Beer Raja Teja Singh), Malkit Singh (Shukarchak), Sarwan Singh (Sohal Baba Sain Bhagat), Varinderpal Singh (Heerapur /Bhojdanwala), Kuljit Singh (Cheema Khurad), Manjit Kaur (Thathgarh) and Avtar Singh (Burj- 195).

Others who joined the AAP were Harjit Singh, Ravisher Singh Mallhi, Gurnam Singh Chhallo and Nasib Singh Billa.

It was pertinent to mention here that Monu Cheema and his elder brother, Sonu Cheema, had a remarkable political influence in the border area. Sonu Cheema had also applied for the Congress ticket from the Tarn Taran constituency, but was denied by the party.

Earlier, Harjinder Singh Tharu, another Congress zila parishad member, too resigned from the party. Two of the four zila parishad members of the Vidhan Sabha constituency had left the Congress.