DISCREDITING THE video clip showing Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann facing allegations of being in an inebriated state at the bhog ceremony of police firing victims, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Tuesday said it would stand by its leader, and termed the video as part of a conspiracy to malign the image of the party and its leaders.

“How can you prove after seeing the video that Bhagwant is drunk? Just that two people seen behind him in the video are shouting that he is drunk? Is there a medical report to prove that?” asked Deepak Bajpai, national media coordinator of AAP, while talking to The Indian Express over the phone.

He said the controversy was part of the propaganda against the AAP. “If I start walking behind BJP chief Amit Shah and shout out loud that he is drunk and get a video shot, would you carry the news about the video? No mediaperson would carry a single line because he represents the BJP. Unfortunately, the AAP is a soft target.” Bajpai said the video was prepared by the opponents of the party.

“Where in the video does Mann come across as drunk? He is just walking and people are shouting behind him. Just that he rushed out of the place. If these people were so sure, they should have got his medical examination done. Just Google ‘drunk cops’ and watch how the drunk cops are behaving in the top most video available. It is an absolutely false propaganda. Where is the evidence? We completely stand by our leader,” said the national media coordinator of AAP.

Mann was on a clarifying spree on Tuesday. He posted a video on his Facebook describing how he was being defamed. In the video clip he has narrated how he got together with Prof Sadhu Singh, AAP MP from Faridkot, and AAP convener Sucha Singh Chottepur at Kotkapura to reach Bargari village, where the bhog ceremony was being organised.

He said they were stopped on the way where his fans clicked pictures with them. In the clip, he added that he and Prof Sadhu Singh sat in the pandal while Chhotepur went up.

“Soon after, I was called up the stage by the organisers. But soon Sant Balbir Singh Daduwal made an appeal to leave as the stage was weak and could give way. I left the ceremony as I had to reach Delhi. Some youths followed me and started talking to me. Two of them started shouting about me. As I was walking fast, I left the place. I did not want to confront them as I did not want any controversy to spoil the Shaheedi Samagam. I am ready to face any punishment if I am proved guilty. I would not commit the sin of going to Guru’s place drunk. All this is part of the campaign launched to discredit me and an attempt to take attention off several pressing issues confronting Punjab,” he said.

The state unit of the party will be meeting in Chandigarh Wednesday and the meeting would be addressed by Punjab’s incharge and coordinator Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak. The issue would be discussed at the meeting, said sources.

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