AAP-Cong alliance: Sikh voters will feel ‘betrayed’, says BJP

Syed Ali Ahmed
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 17

The BJP has reminded the AAP for assurances it had made to the Sikh community during assembly elections saying that AAP's convenor Arvind Kejriwal should think twice before alliance with the Congress.

If the coalition is done, the Sikh community that has given four MLAs, Avtar Singh Kalka, Jagdeep Singh, Jarnail Singh (Tilak Nagar) and other Jarnail Singh, who had resigned from Rajouri Garden to contest assembly election against former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, to the AAP will feel ditched, said national secretary and former MLA RP Singh.

What will these MLAs tell their Sikh voters in the next assembly elections to be held in 2020? Asked Singh.

He said the AAP had promised the Sikh community in 2013-14 and 2015 assembly and Lok Sabha elections that after coming to power, it would send the accused of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots to jail and ensure justice to the Sikh community.

Singh said the party which had 66 MLAs was begging for alliance with a party which had not a single MLA in the assembly. The AAP has forgotten that in its Delhi Dialogue prepared after ascertaining the views of people of Delhi in 2015 had claimed that a few senior leaders of the Congress were accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Now, Kejriwal meets DPCC president Sheila Dikshit and takes photographs with her. She is the person against whom he had claimed to have charges of corruption running in 370 pages and also talked about sending her to jail.

He said the AAP had in its 2013 election manifesto promised that it would ensure punishment to the Congress leaders guilty for riots and ensured justice to the Sikh community.

BJP speeds up candidate selection process

The BJP has speeded up its candidate selection process, amid increased speculation that the Congress and the AAP may form an alliance in the national capital for the Lok Sabha polls. Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari, who is campaigning in West Bengal, was summoned back for an important meeting on candidate selection on Wednesday, sources said. The party is "keenly watching" developments related to the alliance but it is ready with its strategy to tackle any emerging situation, a top BJP leader said. "Some adjustments may be there in case of an (AAP-Congress) alliance. But, even in the worst case scenario, only 2-3 sitting MPs may be replaced with fresh candidates," he said. The nomination process for seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi began Tuesday. The last date for filing nominations is April 23. A decision on alliance between the AAP and the Congress is likely in next few days, even the two sides continue to have major differences over scope of alliance and seat-sharing formula for Delhi and Haryana. — PTI