NEW DELHI, India—With the wave of recent allegedly unconstitutional arrests of many members of the Aam Aadmi Party, many are raising the question of why Arvind Kejriwal, the national convener of the AAP, has shockingly remained silent.
Baltej Pannu and family members of Raghbir Singh Bhairowal have been recently arrested. Unsurprisingly, both ardent supporters of the AAP.
While there have been many who have spoken up against wave of arrests in Punjab such as, Bhagwant Mann promising to raise the issue in Parliament, and Sucha Singh Chottepur has spoken about this too, Kejriwal, the now chief minister of Delhi, has not raised his voice.
Disappointment at the current leadership seems to being growing. There were complaints that Kejriwal failed to meet Bapu Surat Singh during his Punjab visit too.
The AAP’s reach in Punjab could garner much support but the absence of support for fellow members seems to be becoming noticeable. Questions regarding Hindu leadership ignoring the treatment of Sikh party members by the Punjab Police are now beginning to asked. Where Sikh activists speaking up for the treatment of party members by the Punjab Police are being labelled as separatists, the silence of the AAP leadership is upsetting many.
With Punjab elections looming, the apparent abandonment of support for members such as Baltej Pannu and Bhairowal doesn’t appear to be indicate a realistic approach by AAP leaders in investing a real concerted effort within Punjab.
