No pact with AAP, farmers to contest Punjab elections unitedly

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 9

No alliance with Aam Aadmi Party, but Sanyukt Samaj Morcha (SSM) will be closing ranks with all other farmer unions and Gurnam Singh Charuni-led Sanyukt Sangharsh Party to flex their political muscle in all 117 Assembly constituencies for the polls scheduled for February 14.

The seven-member screening committee of the SSM headed by Harmeet Singh Kadian has held some meetings, including one held today in Chandigarh. The first list of the candidates will be declared by Wednesday.

Talking to The Tribune, Balbir Singh Rajewal, SSM prime face for seeking votes, said since the talk of alliance with AAP failed and in accordance with public wishes of a common front of farmers, he was now in talks with Charuni to put up a joint show. “He is one of us. All farmers will contest the polls unitedly. Even those unions that have decided not to be part of SSM will be supporting their brethren who throw their hat in the ring,” Rajewal said. The SSM was earlier in talks with AAP for an alliance and initially it was decided that AAP would leave 30-35 seats for them. However, there were sharp divisions in the SSM over an electoral alliance with AAP and at least nine of the 22 constituent farmer unions of SSM had opposed it.

Rajewal, however, said they decided not to go ahead with the alliance as AAP had proved to be just like other traditional parties. “I have audio recordings of party leaders demanding money to give ticket to candidates. I discussed this with AAP top brass and since they did not want to listen about this, I decided against going with them in the polls,” he said.

Asked if the SSM would only have farmers as candidates, Rajewal replied in the negative. “Over the past 10 days, we have had several rounds of meetings with industrialists, traders, civil rights activists, intellectuals and breakaway leaders of Bahujan Samaj Party. Our candidates will be from all sections of society,” he said.