AAP’s CM face in Punjab will be a Sikh: Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said their chief ministerial candidate for the assembly elections in Punjab to be held early next year will be from the Sikh community and a resident of the state.

On the sidelines of the induction of former inspector general of police (IGP) Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh at Circuit House in Amritsar, Kejriwal said, “Punjab is fed up of its current political leadership and is looking for a new brand of politics. Discussions are underway within the party to choose the CM candidate. Punjab is the only state which gets a Sikh CM. I feel that this is a right of the Sikhs which should be upheld.”

On Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu raising a banner of revolt against the Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, the AAP leader said, “Sidhu sahib is a senior Congress leader. I respect him very much. We should not indulge in loose talk about such a leader.”

About the speculations of his meeting with Sidhu, Kejriwal said, “When something happens, you will be informed first of all.”

‘Ex-IG struggled to get justice for people’

Accompanied by AAP Punjab president Bhagwant Mann, state affairs in-charge Jarnail Singh, co-incharge Raghav Chadha, leader of opposition in Punjab assembly Harpal Singh Cheema and all party MLAs from the state, the Delhi CM welcomed Kunwar Vijay Pratap into the party.

“He was a dedicated police officer who struggled to get justice for the people of Punjab in the Bargari sacrilege case. The entire Punjab is watching how the masterminds of sacrilege and the police firing incidents are roaming freely. When he was unable to do anything within the system, he resigned. It is not easy task,” said Kejriwal.

Once voted to power in the state, the AAP government will put the Bargari sacrilege culprits behind the bars and justice will be given to the people.

“People of Punjab are tired of the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and now want change. They had given chance to all the parties, but nothing changed as they were only after power and indulged in corruption,” he said.

Kunwar Vijay said, “If Guru Granth Sahib could not get justice in Punjab, then we can imagine condition of the common man. Only a political revolution can bring change in the society.”

Mann said, “People hoped after Kunwar Vijay’s appointment as SIT head, the sacrilege culprits would definitely be punished. But that didn’t happen as the ruling party is working to save the guilty.”

Later, Kejriwal along with the party leaders paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and Durgiana Temple in the city. Earlier, he was shown black flags by SAD workers when he was on the way from the Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport to Circuit House.