Former convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, Sucha Singh Chhotepur on Thursday joined the Shiromani Akali Dal ahead of the Assembly polls.
Mr. Chhotepur, who was AAP’s Punjab convener was removed from the post in 2016, following which he formed his own political outfit —Apna Punjab Party.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal announced that Mr. Chhotepur has been appointed as a senior vice president of the party and that he would also be the party’s candidate for the Batala Assembly seat.
“Chhotepur Sahib has always been a champion of Punjabi pride and has done the most to expose outsiders’ conspiracies to divide the people of the State along communal lines. I have profound satisfaction today that the champion of unity of all Punjabis returns home when I am the chief sevadar of the party,” said Mr. Badal.
Mr. Chhotepur said that the future of Punjab’s unique cultural identity as well as peace, progress and prosperity were in danger of being hijacked by a vicious three-pronged attack by non-Punjabi invaders, which include the Congress, the Bharatiya Janta Party and the AAP. “All three want to usurp the destiny of Punjab by creating divisions, hatred and misunderstandings not only between two brotherly communities, the Hindus and the Sikhs, but also by engineering a civil war within the Sikh quom,” he said.
Hitting out at AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Mr. Chhotepur said the latter was only interested in becoming Chief Minister himself.
“This is why he sits on stage with Bhagwant Mann and Harpal Cheema and states that the party is searching for a capable person. Kejriwal hated Punjab and Punjabis from the core of his heart and heaps contempt and humiliation on every Punjabi leader in AAP who tries to raise his or her voice in favour of the State,” alleged Mr. Chhotepur.
