AAP MLA ‘objects to, ridicules’ Punjab unit’s stand on sacrilege probe

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 31

The chasm between the state unit of Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab and Sunam MLA Aman Arora seems to be getting wider. 

Two days after Arora refused to participate in the party meeting here, chaired by AAP Punjab president and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, he has issued a statement contrary to the one issued by his party yesterday, regarding the probe in sacrilege cases.

In a statement issued here, Arora said he objected to and ridiculed his party’s state leadership for its statement wherein they have said AAP has lost all hopes to get justice in Bargari and Behbal Kalan cases.

Read: Cong MP Bajwa accuses Punjab govt of ‘mishandling’ 2015 sacrilege cases

Reacting sharply on the statement issued by the Leader of Opposition and other leaders, Arora said there is no doubt that in last four years successive SAD-BJP and Congress regimes and Union government’s CBI have done nothing in these cases to deliver justice and had been working only to draw political mileage for the Badal-Captain duo from these emotionally sensitive cases, but then that does not mean that AAP despite  being principal Opposition party in the state should leave all hopes to get justice to the people of the state. Arora said such a negative statement has hurt him.

Reminding the state AAP leadership about origin of AAP, Arora advised that before issuing such a negative and demoralising statement, state leadership should not forget that AAP is a product of agitation and had its convener Arvind Kejriwal left his agitation midway, Delhi today would not have got an honest and transparent government. He added that had the freedom fighters left struggle midway after the failure of the 1857 Gadar movement, we might have still not got independence.

While addressing justice loving Punjabi not to get disheartened, Arora said without any doubt the current political scenario is absolutely against free and fair probe of the said cases, but hopes need to kept alive and struggle for that needs to continue and assured Punjab that the day AAP assumes power in state, justice will be delivered and culprits will be behind bars in no time.

For the past two months, the differences between Arora and party leaders, including Harpal Cheema and Mann, have been out in the open. But this statement is the first sign of open rebellion by Arora. 

He becomes the ninth MLA of the party to openly rebel against the state leaders, while another one -- H S Phoolka has resigned. The party had won on 20 seats in 2017.