The leader of the breakaway faction of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, Sukhpal Khaira has said he would announce a new political outfit that will see Simarjeet Singh Bains- the leader of Lok Insaf Party and former AAP leader and MP from Patiala Dharamvir Gandhi joining forces, setting aim at the 2022 Punjab election.
In a press conference addressed in Chandigarh, the rebel group of eight AAP MLA led by Sukhpal Khaira, Simarjeet Bains MLA and the Punjab Manch chief Dr Gandhi announced an eight-day “Insaaf” march, that will begin on 8th December from Talwandi Sabo that will culminate in Patiala where the trio will launch their political outfit.
“We are calling this Insaaf because there’s injustice all over Punjab. Those guilty for the desecration of Shri Guru Granth Sahib have not been nabbed, those who fired at people in Behbal Kalan haven’t been arrested, farmers, youngsters, teachers- all sections of the society are frustrated. In order to raise these issues, call us friends, like-minded people, we have decided to come together,” said Mr Khaira.
Though it’s not clear who would be the leader of the new party, Simarjeet Bains said he was open to handing over reigns of his party to Sukhpal Khaira, with the former leader of opposition saying he was open to accepting Dr Gandhi as his leader.
Mr Khaira said the new outfit will be a people’s movement against the “unjust” rule of Capt Amarinder Singh (incumbent chief minister of Punjab), accusing him of carrying forward the “corrupt and decayed legacy” of the Badals.
Dr Gandhi, Bains and Khaira flanked by the AAP MLA’s further elaborated that the aim of “Insaaf” march would be to save the “Kissani-Jawani” of the state, by highlighting the woes of farmers and youth who were totally disillusioned by the Congress government. They said farmers and farm labourers struggling under a colossal debt of over Rs. 1 lac crore and were committing suicides in large numbers each day.
The Insaaf march (the march for justice) would cover 54 villages of Punjab’s Malwa region where farmers have ended their lives in recent months. This is also the area where the Aam Aadmi Party enjoyed considerable support until the 2017 election.
The launch of the new political outfit is expected to be announced on 16th December in Patiala at a rally. Mr Khaira said he and the other leaders would also seek a mandate from their supporters at the rally to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
