Jammu and Kashmir AAP leaders part ways with Kejriwal, likely to join Congress

In a major setback to Aam Admi Party (AAP) in Jammu and Kashmir, Taranjit Singh Tony, DDC member from Suchetgarh in RS Pura sector, Yash Paul Kundal, former MLA from Samba, AAP’s women wing president Namrta Sharma along with hundreds of their supporters resigned from AAP.

With their exit, curtains almost come down on AAP in Jammu and Kashmir. These leaders along with few other names are likely to join Congress in Delhi in the presence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday.

Tony was the chairman of AAP in J&K for administrative engagement and minority affairs.

In a letter addressed to AAP president and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Tony attributed their resignations to “inactive” AAP in the region for the past over eight months.

Tony, who had parted ways with the National Conference in 2016, had joined AAP in April last year.

“It is unfortunate that the organizational functionaries like Prabharis and Seh Prabharis responsible for reaching out to the people have come to a grinding halt, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. One glaring example is the closure of the AAP office in Jammu for more than eight months,” read Tony’s letter.

He said that no visible effort was made by them to open the party head office in Jammu.

“Even they have not been responding to telephone calls. Despite repeated requests and efforts to approach the individuals responsible for extending AAP’s activities, our appeals have fallen on deaf ears. With a heavy heart, I hereby resign from the primary membership of AAP and from my position as chairman of AAP Jammu and Kashmir for administrative engagement and minority affairs,” he stated.

“Panches, Sarpanches and all senior functionaries are all resigning today along with me,” he added.

Former MLA Yash Paul Kundal also confirmed that he has quit AAP and “probably” join the Congress at Delhi on Monday.

Namrta Sharma said, “Firstly, the AAP was inactive for the past over eight months in J&K. Secondly, since AAP has joined Opposition alliance ‘INDIA’ and it has been decided that AAP would stay away wherever Congress fielded its candidates, we had been left with no option because we are answerable to our people.”

She informed that on Monday Tony, Kundal and she besides few other leaders would be joining the Congress at Delhi in the presence of party president Kharge.

“In the evening we would also meet Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi,” she added.

AAP, which had taken J&K by storm following landslide win in Punjab in March last year, was jolted by the exit of two big leaders—former education minister Harsh Dev Singh and former MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia.

While Harsh Dev Singh returned to his parent party—Panthers Party, Mankotia had joined BJP.

On April 8 last year Mankotia along with former MLA Yash Paul Kundal and over 700 Sarpanches, Panches, BDC chairmen besides DDC members had joined Aam Admi Party (AAP) party at New Delhi.

Five months on, Mankotia was sacked on September 23 last year from the primary membership of the AAP amid speculations that he may join the BJP and he did so on September 29 at Delhi in the presence of national president JP Nadda, union minister Dr Jitendra Singh, J&K president Ravinder Raina and other BJP leaders.

On February 16 this year, Harsh Dev Singh parted ways with Kejriwal’s party to revive Panthers Party.

In a video clip, Harsh Dev had announced his decision to quit AAP so as to revive Panthers Party formed by his uncle Prof Bhim Singh in 1982.

Prof Bhim died after a prolonged illness at the age of 82 on May 31 last year.