A doctor, a former diplomat, a professor and an actor-comedian from Punjab are going to be Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ambassadors in the 16th Lok Sabha.
AAP has already made plans to convene a meeting of these four MPs before the Lok Sabha convenes to familiarise them with AAP's policies and viewpoint on most issues. AAP leaders admit it is an important step because this gang of four is not among AAP's top leadership and thus party's important bodies likes political affairs committee and national executive needs to "include new leaders emerging from across India".
Sample this. AAP's candidate from Patiala Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, who defeated Congress MP and minister in UPA government Preneet Kaur by over 21,000 votes, is a famous cardiologist. Gandhi, 63, was an activist in his student days and was jailed for opposing Emergency. He is founder and an active member of several rights bodies.
AAP's Harinder Singh Khalsa, 67, defeated Sadhu Singh of Congress from Fatehgarh Sahib by over 54,000 votes. He was an IFS officer deployed in Norway in 1984 during Operation Bluestar. He resigned from the service as a mark of protest and remained in exile till 1990, when he returned. In 1996, he was elected as MP from Bhatinda on Akali Dal's ticket.
Professor Sadhu Singh,73, from Faridkot defeated Paramjit Kaur Gulshan of SAD by over 170,000 votes. Sadhu Singh is a retired principal. He has also written two books.
But the AAP man who won by the biggest margin is actor comedian Bhagwant Mann who defeated SAD's Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa by over 2 lakh votes. Mann, 42, is well-known for his skits in Punjabi and is a comedian of national acclaim. His comedy focuses on social and political issues.
Senior AAP leader Prashant Bhushan said: "Several changes would have to be made to make our political affairs committee and national executive more broad-based to include new leaders who have emerged from across the country."
"The four MPs will meet the AAP top brass in Delhi before Parliament begins," Raghav Chadha, who was handling the candidate selection process for the new party, said.
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