The Aam Aadmi Party, which has been confident that it will push aside the ruling Akali Dal as well as the Opposition Indian National Congress, and win Punjab the way it did Delhi, is in trouble! Party state unit leader Succha Singh Chhotepur on Friday accused Delhi chief minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal of being anti-Sikh and conspiring against him.
Chhotepur's allegations came amid reports that the party high command was on the verge of sacking him on the basis of a video that allegedly showed him accepting money from a volunteer
Some leaders of the party had reportedly written to Kejriwal asking him to sack Chhotepur. The leader did not deny accepting money, but charged that the party had not given him a paisa in last two years. “How are we running the party? Through contributions by volunteers. It is public money being used for public purpose. It was not for a ticket or for personal use... People send me money every month, some even send Rs 1000,” he said.
Interestingly, Chhotepur charged Kejriwal with wanting him to own up the responsibility for the broom symbol atop the Golden Temple in the party's youth manifesto, by admitting to have approved the cover proof. Chhotepur reportedly declined to do so, on grounds that he was a Sikh and could be excommunicated. “Kejriwal asked me, 'so what?' He does not understand the significance of this,” he said at a press conference in Chandigarh
Sources said Chhotepur has not yet quit. However, he is being encouraged to leave the party “that does not know how to respect its senior Punjab leaders”.
