New Delhi: Is Arvind Kejriwal headed for Punjab? Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia's appeal to Punjab to vote in the name of Kejriwal has kicked up a row with the Opposition alleging that AAP is planning to install Kejriwal as Punjab chief minister should it come to power.
"Ye samajh ke vote do ki aap Arvind Kejriwal ko vote de rahe ho. Aapka vote Kejriwal ke naam pe hai, (Vote for us thinking that you are voting for Kejriwal)" Sisodia told a public meeting in Mohali on Tuesday.
Multiple opinion polls have showed that AAP is leading the race in Punjab where the ruling BJP-SAD combine is bogged down with anti-incumbency while Congress is enmeshed in faction fights. However, the AAP had so far shied away from naming a CM candidate and has repeatedly refuted speculation that Kejriwal could be Punjab CM should the AAP get a simple majority.
Punjab deputy CM Sukhbir Badal was quick to latch on the Sisodia statement. "By asking people to vote for Arvind Kejrwal as CM of Punjab, Sisodia has exposed their plan. AAP has proven it doesn’t trust Punjabis," he tweeted.
Cat is out of the bag. Recent events prove that Kejri wanted to be CM all along & was only fooling people with misleading statements.— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) January 10, 2017
.@ArvindKejriwal is fond of U turns & lies. He earlier said that a Punjabi will be party CM candidate. Now he has jumped into fray himself.— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) January 10, 2017
With Haryanvi Kejriwal as CM candidate, what will be fate of SYL, Chd as well as Punjabi speaking areas of Punjab still left in Haryana?— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) January 10, 2017
“I ask Punjabis to evaluate the actions of this anti-Punjab party & reject attempts to foist outsiders on the State @ArvindKejriwal (sic)," Badal tweeted.
Next in line was Captain Amarinder Singh, the Congress CM hopeful.
"After months of beating around the bush, truth of Arvind Kejriwal and his nefarious ambitions come out," he tweeted.
Hitting back, the AAP claimed Sisodia was misquoted. “Kejriwal is the face of AAP, and votes are being asked in the name of Kejriwal. This is an electoral strategy... other parties do the same," said AAP’s Atishi Marlena.
In one of his recent rallies, Kejriwal had announced that a Dalit will be the deputy chief minister of Punjab if his party comes to power in the state.
Recently, Dr Balbir Singh, the AAP candidate against former Punjab CM and Congress leader Capt Amarinder Singh, had told News18 categorically that Kejriwal was not in the race to be CM of Punjab.
"The Chief Minister will be from Punjab. Our National Convener, on record, and our national spokespersons, Raghav Chadda and Sanjay Singh, have said on record that CM will be from Punjab and Kejriwal has the mandate of the people of Delhi for five years and will rule Delhi. Speculation about Arvind Kejriwal becoming CM is to sidetrack issues," he had said.
State Assembly polls in Punjab is scheduled for February 4 and results will be announced on March 11.
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