Chandigarh, Jan 12 (PTI) AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday admitted that his party could lose some votes due to the decision of the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, a platform of farmers’ organisations, to contest the Punjab Assembly polls.
The Aam Aadmi Party chief said an alliance with the SSM for the February 14 polls did not happen because of differences over seat-sharing.
The Delhi chief minister rejected the charge that his party is taking money for allotting tickets to assembly aspirants, rubbishing an audio tape in which the allegation was recently made.
Several farmer bodies which had taken part in the stir against the Centre’s now withdrawn agri laws had last month launched the SSM, a front to fight the Punjab polls.
Last week, SSM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal ruled out an alliance with the AAP.
“Rajewal saheb came to me at my house and a discussion took place. The day he came, we had already announced 90 tickets and he said he wanted 60 tickets,” Kejriwal told reporters.
The AAP leader said he told Rajewal that just 27 party tickets were now left to be distributed and the SSM could take 10-15 out of them.
“I completely agree that if the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha fights separately some AAP votes could definitely be lost,” he said.
Kejriwal trashed allegations that money was being exchanged for party tickets, saying this does not happen in the AAP.
“If anybody proves that somebody sold tickets and somebody else bought them, I will throw them out of the party within 24 hours,” he said.
“I can tolerate anything, but not corruption,” he said, adding that he would ensure that anybody who does this would end up behind bars.” He said he would also make sure that anybody levelling false allegation goes to jail.
Kejriwal said Rajewal had given him the audio clip that mentioned AAP leaders.
It had two people saying that Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia accept money to get the work done, and Raghav Chadha goes to a five star hotel every day, according to the AAP chief.
“Such rubbish was being discussed in the clip. It was not proof,” he said.
Kejriwal said he asked Rajewal to make the audio tape public if there was any proof.
He said his party had nothing to do with the recently surfaced pamphlet in Patiala that asked people to take money from any party but vote for the AAP.
“These pamphlets are being distributed by the people of Punjab and it is the voice of the people. We have not distributed any such pamphlet.” Kejriwal also targeted the Shiromani Akali Dal leader. “Does Sukhbir Badal think he can buy votes of the people of Punjab? A Punjabi will die but will never sell his vote.” He claimed that everywhere in Punjab he hears that people will accept money from the Akalis but will vote for the AAP.
He also took on the Charanjit Singh Channi government in Punjab over the alleged “deterioration” in law and order, and referred to the recent Ludhiana bomb blast, the alleged sacrilege incidents and the PM security breach.
“There is fear in the mind of the common man and he does not feel safe,” he said. PTI CHD VSD ASH ASH
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Source: The Print
