Over 100 BSP workers, leaders join AAP

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 7

About hundred workers and leaders of the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) today joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) here this afternoon. Those joining the AAP included former Kartarpur unit in-charge of the BSP, Dalit leader Vinod Modi, besides other office-bearers and leaders of the BSP from the region.

Speaking about the shift, Vinod Modi said, “Much of the old guard had been feeling disillusioned and the well-heeled, rather than the hardworking workers of the party, were recently securing tickets.”

Forty-five-year-old Modi, who has been with the BSP since the age of 18, said, “I have been with the party since I was in my teens. But lately, with the decline in the ideals of the BSP, we go attracted to the AAP ideologically because the party talks about and forwards the cause of the common man.”

“We are in talks with other members of the BSP. Many more party leaders are also expected to join the AAP in future,” he added.

Other leaders of the BSP, who joined the Aam Admi Party today, include Manjit Kajla, general secretary, BSP Kartarpur assembly constituency, Malkit Ram, secretary, Kartarpur assembly constituency, Charan Das, unit president, BSP, Lallian Kalan, Amarjeet Jassal, unit president, Lallian Khurd and Jagdish Kelley, Kapurthala district secretary of the BSP, among others.

Other BSP members who joined AAP include Nirmal Das, Rakesh Kaul, Sanjiv Kumar, Tejinder, Kamal, Gurdial Chand, Surinder Sandhu, Lakhvinder Mahe, Balbir Kler, Rajinder Kumar Bhatia, Aman Kumar and Charanjit Channa, among others.

Many workers and volunteers from the BSP, who had been working for the party, but were not a part of its leadership, also joined the AAP today.

From the AAP, National Council member of the party Himanshu Pathak, AAP district unit in-charge Tarandeep Singh, Punjab organising committee member LR Naiyar, among others, were present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Pathak said, “BSP leaders from many areas joined the party today. They are all people with a clear track record who will help strengthen the AAP. They are not the kind of people who questioned or asked for any special positions. They have joined the party for its ideology. This shall strengthen the party and help us work better in the upcoming elections.”