New Delhi: A war of words has broken out between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the latter’s decision to field Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West Assembly Constituency in Punjab for the forthcoming byelections.
Congress leaders like Partap Singh Bajwa and Sukhpal Singh Khaira alleged that it was a ploy to help AAP chief and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal enter Parliament through Punjab.
On Tuesday, Bajwa claimed that Kejriwal had initially planned to fight the Ludhiana West seat himself but refrained from doing so, fearing a backlash in Punjab. The Congress leader wondered whether Kejriwal now wants to enter the Rajya Sabha. The Ludhiana West seat fell vacant after the death of MLA Gurpreet Gogi.
Arora, a businessman, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2022 from Punjab, and his tenure is set to end in 2028.
Khaira was more direct. He claimed that Kejriwal has offered Arora a cabinet berth in Punjab if he manages to win from Ludhiana West. “In return, Kejriwal wants to replace him in the Rajya Sabha. This man can’t stay without a seat somewhere. Now, he is playing dirty politics in Punjab. The chief minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann has been vocal about allowing only Punjabi speaking people to contest from the state. Maybe, he should ask Kejriwal if he can speak Punjabi,” he said.
In a post on X, Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu seconded his view. “Why is AAP’s sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora suddenly contesting the Ludhiana West bypoll? Is Arvind Kejriwal plotting his own Rajya Sabha entry? Is he desperate for a government bungalow in Delhi? The man will go to any extent to maintain his dictatorship. Greed has no limits,” he wrote.
AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, however, said that Kejriwal has no plans to enter Rajya Sabha.
“In the past, allegations were made that Arvind Kejriwal wants to replace Bhagwant Mann as chief minister of Punjab. This turned out to be a baseless rumour. These allegations are also baseless. Arvind Kejriwal is the topmost leader of the party and he doesn’t need a seat anywhere to prove his worth. AAP leaders in Punjab are aware of things and they will take adequate measures to counter these allegations,” she said.
