Sucha Singh Chhotepur addresses a rally in Dirba, Sangrur, from where AAP kickstarted its ‘Punjab Jodo’ campaign on Wednesday Sucha Singh Chhotepur addresses a rally in Dirba, Sangrur, from where AAP kickstarted its ‘Punjab Jodo’ campaign on Wednesday

COUNTERING the allegations that he has been behind his party’s inclusion of “tainted” SAD and BSP leaders, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state convenor Sucha Singh Chhotepur on Wednesday asserted his party would only distribute tickets, for the 2017 Assembly elections, to those with “clean” image.

“People will come from these parties only. I cannot close the doors to anyone. Since anybody can be a member of the party online, how could I say no to them when they express their desire to be a member of AAP. But I want to make it very clear that at the time of nominations, complete screening would be done. The image of each and every candidate would be considered. We will stick to the party’s ideology of providing good candidates,” he told The Indian Express.

Chhotepur was reacting to allegations by Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi and Fatehgarh Sahib MP Harinder Singh Khalsa, who have been accusing him of having reduced AAP to be like any other political outfit of power-hungry and corrupt politicians.

The duo, put under suspension on Saturday, have been stating that Chhotepur himself was a ‘turncoat’ and an ‘opportunist’ who had been with virtually all parties in Punjab.

Chhotepur has also come under fire after he remarked that many Akalis and Congressmen would be a part of AAP after the elections are announced.

The AAP convenor, however, said he may have been associated with the other parties in the state but has never made any money.

“I have been a grassroots leader for the past 40 years. I have never had any allegations of corruption against me. I fit the AAP ideology. Otherwise, do you think Kejriwal would have taken me?” he asked.

Chhotepur said the party was getting an overwhelming response from the people of Punjab and that an internal survey has revealed that 85 of the 117 Assembly segments in the state wanted AAP to represent them. “As per our survey as many as 42 per cent of people are with us,” he said.

He added that the assembly number could go up to 100 once the elections are announced since “people are very scared of the ruling party and do not want to openly support anybody else”.

Mocking the Congress, Chhotepur said the party has not been able to keep its house in order and hence won’t pose a challenge to AAP, “It will go the Delhi way. The Congress will be routed irrespective of who leads them.”

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