Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday attacked Manpreet Badal, who joined Congress by merging his party, saying the estranged nephew of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal "shook hands" with a party which was accused of big scandals like 2G, coal scams.
It also rubbished the reported claims of Manpreet that AAP had approached him to come into party fold. Former Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal had on Friday announced to join Congress by merging his outfit People's Party of Punjab (PPP) in Delhi.
"He (Manpreet Badal) has joined the party which has set records in scams like 2G scam, coal scam etc. He joined the party which had even attacked the Golden Temple-the worship place for Sikhs," AAP, Punjab Convener, Sucha Singh Chottepur said today. "Earlier, he used to see vision for Punjab in Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and now he sees vision in Congress party," he said.
Chottepur also slammed the PPP founder for reportedly saying that AAP lacked vision to end corruption, unemployment, drug menace. "He does not need to care about us. We know what we wish to do for the betterment of Punjab. But we will certainly not do what they (Congress) had done," he said while taking a jibe at Manpreet.
AAP, aiming to repeat their historic win of Delhi polls in 2017 Punjab assembly polls, has vision to bring change in the state by ending corruption, drug menace, stopping exodus of industry and save farming community.
"Our struggle is to end corruption, drug abuse, to bail out farmers from crisis and promote industry which is completely in bad shape at present. We are simple men and belonged to simple families unlike him (Manpreet Badal)," he said.
Chottepur said AAP never approached Manpreet to join the party. "As far as I know AAP never approached Manpreet to join us. If he had approached himself, then I don't know," he said. Manpreet, who was the state Finance minister in 2010, had quit the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal after differences with his uncle Parkash Singh Badal and cousin Sukhbir Singh Badal, and floated his own party PPP.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today described Manpreet's joining Congress as a case of a "Congress mole going home to roost". In a statement here, senior SAD leaders including Prem Singh Chandumajra and Balwinder Singh Bhundur alleged Manpreet had become part of Congress back in 2010 when he "conspired with the party to destabilise" the SAD-BJP government.
"Manpreet even formed PPP on the directions of Congress to cause a split in the Badal family and attract SAD MLA's and party men to the new outfit", they alleged. The leaders said the close coordination Manpreet Badal enjoyed with Congress was also evident from the fact that he fought the last Lok Sabha election from Congress symbol.
"Manpreet he become a Congressman for all effects since long and the latest development is only a formal articulation of a long time arrangement with the party", the leaders added.
Chandumajra and Bhundur also made it clear that Manpreet had through his actions not only betrayed the PPP but also the martyrs in whose name he had pledged that he would never join the Congress. Declaring Manpreet as a "biggest betrayer", they said he had "misled" the public by using names of great martyrs Sardar Bhagat Singh and others but later on he himself betrayed his own core team.
"Manpreet has no standing of his own and is a man with double standards. You can always expect him to sway with the wind," they said.
Chandumajra said Manpreet had himself destroyed his political career by deceiving people time and again and he would not achieve anything in Congress as the SAD-BJP would form the government for the third time in the State.
"Over ambitious people often meet such a fate and none can believe a liar who betrays people in the name of martyrs," he added. Chandumajra said the former PPP leader neither had any base amongst the people nor he has any ideology due to which he was running from pillar to post for his political survival. "It has now become clear that Manpreet has become so desperate that he deserted his own partymen but the people would not tolerate such shameless chameleon like behaviour. You cannot keep changing your stance every day," he added.
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