AAP Woos Panthik Votes Ahead of 2017 Elections in Punjab

NEW DELHI—In attempt to woo the Sikh vote bank, Aam Aadmi Party’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal has appointed Delhi MLA Jarnail Singh as co-Incharge of party affairs in Punjab.  Bhai Jarnail Singh has been also made the spokesperson of Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab.

Sources close to senior AAP leadership in Punjab have said that Arvind Kejriwal has taken the move keeping in view importance of Panthik votes to win the 2017 elections.  AAP needs a Sikh face who is respected within Panthik circles to tackle Shiromani Akali Dal on Sikh issues.  Jarnail Singh had gained strong hold in Sikh masses by bringing and passing the condemnation resolution of 1984 Sikh genocide in Delhi assembly.  AAP’s opponents would find it very difficult to fire upon AAP on Sikh issues.

Notably, MLA Jarnail Singh was a mainstream journalist who had hurled shoe on former Union Home Minister P. Chindambram while questioning him about 1984 Sikh genocide. His move of hurling shoe on P. Chindambram was warmly welcomed by the SGPC at that time and he was also honoured by the SGPC at that time.  Similarly, while HS Phoolka, who is also a senior member within AAP has done much work for 1984 Sikh victims, the Akalis have tried to hurt his credibility.  However, having honoured Jarnail Singh previously, the Akalis will likely remain tight-lipped about him.

There are also speculations that Kejriwal has appointed Jarnail Singh in Punjab to corner AAP’s state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur.  Notably, Sucha Singh Chhotepur is on target of AAP’s core leadership as he had objected over the list of candidates issued by AAP for assembly polls.  Sucha Singh Chhotepur, who remained absent while announcing first as well as second list of candidates by AAP, had stated that he was unhappy with the Party’s choice of candidates.

He had said that the Party’s core leadership ignored the workers who worked hard to establish AAP in Punjab.  Chhotepur said that he would meet Kejriwal to ask him to reconsider the choice of candidates however Sikh24 has learnt that Kejriwal has not given an appointment date to Chhotepur despite several attempts by the latter to see the Delhi CM.

Additionally, there are also talks about United Akali Dal having met with some AAP leaders in Punjab about strategically fielding candidates in some constituencies.  AAP is however careful about reputation and closeness of Bhai Mohkam Singh with pro-Badal elements in past, sources told Sikh24.  Bhai Mohkam Singh is the president of the United Akali Dal and also played a key role in 2015 Sarbat Khalsa.  It is also notable that Arvind Kejriwal personally met with Bhai Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale after the attack on his convoy.  Dhadrianwale enjoys a strong support from various parts of Punjab and he will likely also extend support to AAP given inaction by the Akali Government in punishing the masterminds of the attack against him in May 2016.

Arvind Kejriwal, Bhai Jarnail Singh and other AAP leaders doing seva at Sri Darbar Sahib
Arvind Kejriwal, Bhai Jarnail Singh and other AAP leaders doing seva at Sri Darbar Sahiblso

16 COMMENTS

  1. India is a Hindu majority Nation though not a Hindu Nation
    They have made a law against beef consumption.
    If you like beef so much then please migrate to Beef eating nations.
    As for Ghar wapsi it is a Dalits decision.
    I don’t know how does it interest us.
    If they want to follow any religion it is their free choice.
    We have no say in the story.

    • Gar Wapsi is NOT a Dalits decision. The Ghar Wapsi programme is an intensive form of re-indoctrination and intimidatory peer pressure by the RSS specifically designed to reverse a decision a Dalit has made to abandon the Hindu religion for another. It intersts the Sikh because historically and doctrinally we are obliged to stand up and against anyone such as the fascist RSS forcing someone to change their religion. India is a Hindu majority nation which made specific promises at its creation to induce the Sikh nation to join with it which protected and ensure the Sikhs identity and religion. We are not then obliged to follow any law which is against Sikh doctrine or interest. The same applies to their religious minorities in India and this means beef eating if they want. Why should I migrate to another country when beef eating was allowed in the Sikh homeland of Punjab under Moghul, British and Khalsa Raj rule? You move, after all the Punjabi Hindus already have their own state now in Haryana having been given a referendum in 1966 to specifically address their desire to be more Hindu in their governance.

  2. Cow is holy to the Indian people of Hindu faith.
    If you like beef so much please migrate to an beef eating Nation.
    It is illegal so you decide if you want to do illegal things and face the music of law.
    As for Dalits it is their free will what religion they want to follow.
    It is none of my or your business.so just chill.

    • I have already pointed out the exact legal position which you are ignoring just because you wish to enforce your ideology on others. Cow is holy to Hindus only and India is NOT exclusively a Hindu country no matter that you and your Hinduvta mafia (who did NOTHING to found or defend the country) wish to make it. If you are not Hindu you have the right to practise your own religion and if you want to eat beef no problem although all the beef in India is infected with BSE (so no diary products can be sold to the west). Again no mention of Ghar Wapsi so you are just ignoring facts to suit your own deluded vision. Cow not sacred and neither is your thinking.

  3. Beef is banned under the LAW .
    So either you follow the Law of land or you may go to a beef eating Country .
    You have all freedom you mentioned but not to break the law of the LAND.
    Dalits can adopt what ever religion they like .
    it is none of your or my business ,
    It is an individual DALITS choice

    • Article 48 of the Constitution of India mandates the state to prohibit the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle. There are 24 states in India which adhere to this law, there are few states which have enacted their law under the constitution that enables them to slaughter non milch or with a “fit to slaughter” certificate, on account of various factors. So, if there is a ban on slaughter of cows under the Constitution of India, beef can be available from other states, unless the said state has a ban on consumption of beef too. So beef eating is not banned under the law it is only permissable to ban it under the law if an individual state enacts it so and not all states in India do this. The only way you can get a nationwide ban is for Hinudvta extremists to create a nationwide spate of attacks and thuggish violence as they have been doing against Dalits. How can you expect a Sikh, Muslim, Christian or Dalit to observe a ban on eating beef when none of them consider the cow to be a holy animal? With your logic no one in India should be allowed to eat anything as even ploughing up the field to plant crops is bound to injure insects and worms and thus cause religious offence to the Jain. If you are so obsessed with observing people’s religious rights under the constitution rather than worry about emaciated, BSE (mad cow disease) infected cattle which wander around the streets causing threat to pedestrians and vehicles you should concern yourself with preserving the rights and life of Sikhs being put to death. And you still have no answer to the Ghar Whapsi programme that forces Dalits to revert from Christianity by intimidation and re-indoctrination. Learn to live and let live.

  4. In India there is no restriction on conversion .Any one including yourself can convert to any religion you may desire .There is an absolute religious freedom in India.
    No mosques have been demolished except Babri Masjid for which NDA was not responsible.
    Muslims are Top Heros , Presidents and scientist in India. India has the largest Muslim Population in world.
    Dalits murders are odd incidence which is Punishable under the Law and India constitution has been written By Respectable Balsahib Ambedeekar.
    Cow is considered mother of many Indians especially those of Hindu Faith so it is not possible them to see it being Killed.
    Non Hindus can respect this feeling of there Hindu neighbours.
    The constitution of India prevents any one to break India so it is illegal .
    Just stop criticizing Indians for the sake of criticism.

    • What is ‘Ghar Wapsi’ then? Why have Dalits to go to local panchayats to have their decision to convert to Chritianity challenged and approved? Dalit murders are odd incidents?! They are happening on weekly basis. No Mosque destroyed but Bari Masjid? One is okay? The most important one? What about Gurdwaras destroyed and desecrated? Cow is holy only to followers of Hindu faith, to the rest of Indians (and the world) it is not a sacred animal but just a BSE (mad cow disease so its beef cannot be sold oversea as it is unft for human consumption by western standards) infected bovine that produces methane adding to global pollution . Under the constitution anyone who wants to eat beef can do so – you have no right to thuggishly intimidate and murder people for transporting cows or eating beef. That is imposing your religious values on other people. Sikhs respect Hindu and Muslim belief which is why in our Gurdwaras we don’t serve any meat whatsover in our langars so anyone can come and eat. Our respect for Hindu religious thought has its limits as we do not then also provide high chairs for those who consider themselves to be high caste and wont eat with their ‘lesser’ kinsmen – everybody has to eat sat alongside each other. Same with eating beef, no one is suggesting opening a butchers shop outside a Hindu temple. Beef can be obtained and sold and consumed with discretion by those who want it so as not to overtly hurt Hindu sentiment. And criticising your own country is not anti national nor is it sedition – the high court already confirmed that. What you so afraid of when dissent is raised? Don’t you understand that is how genuine grievances are aired. Freedom of speech and free association and freedom of thought are fundamental to a democracy so you are not going to tell me what I can think, who I can talk with or what I can say or indeed what I can eat .

    • No, YOU got to learn the philosophy of live and let live – so that means not demolishing mosques, murdering Dalits for transporting cows or daring to express the desire to convert to Christianity, re-banning terrorist militias such as the RSS, allowing free speech instead of going around arresting anyone who mentions the word Azaadi, punishing police officers who murder with impugnity et al. Live and let live is already the philosophy of Sikhi so we need to learn nothing more about honouring other people’s human rights and civil liberties. If you won’t learn from the Sikhs at least keep Amnesty International to teach you these values of tolerance.

  5. Dear Harinder jee, What is your ‘religion’ and what kind of ‘religion’ is it? I do not have any personal or private religion. Instead, I believe in an open and publicly engaging code and philosophy of life. It is called ‘sikhi’. I suspect you may have heard of it. It promotes kindness, justice, freedom, liberty, equality and good and welfare to all nature, animals, humans and more. It positively believes in getting involved in society’s affairs, to change and repair the colossal damage and rampage that humans have inflicted on the planet, themselves, animals and world-kind generally. I believe it is a powerful force for good! It rejects man-made religion and politics, as a manipulate mess and deceit to control human society and, in turn, the planet’s resources and riches for profit and commodification. It promotes a powerful alternative, based on principles of ethical governance and ethical and justice based systems of life and governance. It doesn’t promote personalised, secret religion. Instead, it promotes collective participation, with rights and responsibilities go hand in hand.

    • You may not be aware but ‘Harinder’ (not his real name) is our resident RSS troll and will often make either ignorant, hypocritical, historically inaccurate or irrational posts to malign Sikhs. I find it is better to let him talk as he cannot answer rational questions and tends to betray his immoral instincts which are a bonus when we are defending his right to free speech even though he adamantly wants this stopped for Sikhs trying to point out injustice.

      • Yes of course bigotry and fanaticism are only religious traits. Which religion did Adolf Hitler follow exactly? Which religion did Mussolini follow? Which religion did Stalin follow? Pol Pot? You get the point? Anyone is capable of being evil. I can’t talk about other religious faiths but Sikhi will certainly direct you away from that. And it is very telling that you now claim to have no religious affiliation yet haunt a Sikh website for over a year and post comments regularly against the Sikh religion and Sikhs and very much for violent right wing reactionary groups like the RSS which are standard bearers for bigotry and fanaticism.

    • ‘Keep religion to personnel space.
      Let no political party harness it for its own interest’. I do not think your RSS masters will be too happy about you making a hypocritical pronouncement like that as it would mean they would have to disband and hand in their funny knickerbocker shorts and caps.

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