Attempt to tarnish my image: Chhotepur on video clip

CHANDIGARH: Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab unit convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur, who is under fire after surfacing of video clip showing him allegedly accepting cash, on Thursday said attempts were being made to tarnish his image by some colleagues in the party who have resorted to “dirty tricks”.

Sucha Singh Chhotepur. —File photo

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 25

Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab unit convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur, who is under fire after surfacing of video clip showing him allegedly accepting cash, on Thursday said attempts were being made to tarnish his image by some colleagues in the party who have resorted to “dirty tricks”.

In an unsigned press note, Chhotepur said he has been working as AAP’s Punjab convener for a long time and had done all he could to strengthen the party.

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Terming as baseless the allegations levelled against him, Chhotepur said he will hold a press conference on Friday “to bring out the truth in front of people of Punjab”.

Read: Chhotepur on his ‘way out’

It is learnt that the party has decided to remove Chhotepur from the post of convener after the video came to light.

He is likely to be replaced by AAP’s legal cell incharge and candidate from Mohali Himmat Singh Shergill.

Congress comes to Chhotepur’s defence

Rushing to the defence of AAP’s Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur, the Congress said “outsider” AAP leaders were trying to fix a “son of the soil”.

Condemning the “dirty tricks resorted to by Aam Aadmi Party leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana against the son of the soil Sucha Singh Chhotepur, who nourished and nurtured the party right from the day of its conception in Punjab”, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh said AAP leaders from outside the state have taken control of the party and were trying to fix the state leadership.

In the first two lists of 32 candidates released by the AAP, Chhotepur's name was not cleared for any assembly seat.

He was also not present at both press conferences where the lists were announced by AAP leaders, especially of Sanjay Singh, who is in-charge of the party's affairs in Punjab.

Party sources said Chhotepur had expressed objections to a few names in both lists but AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal did not give any time to him to discuss the issue.

Chhotepur has told media that he had objections to a few names and had sought time to meet Kejriwal.

“The sting operation has clearly been conceived, planned and executed as part of an internal coup engineered by the AAP leaders from outside who want to control Punjab through remote by using their local stooges and inconsequential wannabe leaders,” Amarinder Singh said.

"Kejriwal should look into the monumental transformation in the lifestyle of leaders like Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak since they started their political career in Punjab. It is a blatantly shameless attempt by people like Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, Durgesh Pathak and Ashish Khetan to control the party from Delhi, UP and Haryana,” Amarinder said, while adding that the move was to oust Chhotepur from the AAP. — With agency inputs