AAP’s Tinu brings hope for dejected councillors; were ready to switch party

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Jalandhar, May 2

A few days ago, there were reports that several former councillors would leave the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and would join other parties. Former SAD MLA Pawan Tinu, who joined the AAP recently, visited Jalandhar and held meetings with those, who were “ready” to switch their sides.

Workers are elated after Pawan Tinu got ticket. He is smart and knows how to work. We have met him two or three times. He has assured us that we will not have to struggle for getting our work done. — Nirmal Singh Nimma, Former Councillor

Now, with Pawan Tinu getting a AAP ticket for the Lok Sabha elections, party leaders think that finally, they would have their “say” in the municipal corporation (MC).

“We quit the Congress and joined the AAP because we thought that it would be easier for us to get work done in the municipal corporation. But, soon we found that there were two or three people, who had all the powers, and we didn’t have any say. We felt less important. None of us was able to get our work done,” said one of the party leaders.

Nirmal Singh Nimma, former councillor of Ward No. 6, said, “Workers are elated after Pawan Tinu got ticket. He is smart and knows how to work. We have met him two or three times. He has assured us that we will not have to struggle for getting our work done in the MC,” he said.

Notably, former councillor Vaneet Dhir went back to the BJP on Wednesday, a year after he left the party and joined the AAP. He also cited the same reason.

He said, “I did it for the development of Jalandhar. There is no political reason behind my return to the BJP.” Dhir said he knew that development in Jalandhar was possible only with the help of the Central Government’s support.

When asked why did he leave the BJP earlier, he said, “I thought that the state government would help us get the work done. But, soon I realised that it was not the case. Those in the AAP are not experienced. So, I decided to quit the party.” “The decision is solely based on the point that I want power which could help me do my work,” Dhir shared.

Last year, many local leaders had joined the AAP. One year later, the entire political scenario has changed. Those, who shifted to the AAP, are now looking upto other parties.