AAP no competition but lies need to be called out: SAD, Congress leaders

“While Haryana is burning, the Delhi CM has chosen to come to Punjab to garner votes. In a democracy everyone has the right to express their opinion. He is expressing his and we are doing ours,” Cheema added. He justified the protest by his workers in almost every village that Kejriwal has visited, while the AAP leader has repeatedly been calling them ‘paid’ goons of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

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The protests were also defended by the Punjab Congress state convenor and Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu. “The Youth Congress will show him black flags when he comes to Ludhiana as he has not cleared his stand on the funds he is getting from Khalistanis settled abroad and even about the posters in which his pictures emerged along with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. His negative politics is spreading hatred in Punjab and we don’t want a Haryana to happen in Punjab too. So we will be opposing him when he visits Ludhiana on the last day of his visit,” Bittu said.

Former CLP leader Sunil Jakhar, however, condemned Friday’s incident in which Congress workers had clashed with AAP workers during Kejriwal’s speech at Pakan village in Jalalabad. “In a democracy, every one has the right to express their views but physical intervention is uncalled for. I think workers should show restraint and not get carried away,” Jakhar said.

Surjeet Jayani Health Minister and MLA Fazilka also opposed the protests by SAD-BJP workers in villages of Fazilka. “In a democratic set up, everyone has the right to express their views. Political parties from Punjab also go to Delhi,” Jayani said, but could not stop his own workers from protesting at Mahatam Nagar on Friday.

BJP’s state secretary Sandeep Rinwa, however, praised the AAP leaders when the latter had visited the house of Bheem Taank, the Dalit man who had been murdered at a SAD leader’s house in Abohar. Rinwa praised the debating skills of Sanjay Singh and AAP MP Bhagwant Mann. He also thanked Kejriwal, for announcing a government job for Taank’s family member with the Delhi government. “When SAD does nothing, someone else has to take charge. The chief minister nor the deputy chief minister have visited Taank’s family till date,” Rinwa said.

Kejriwal though laughed off the protests. “They (protesters) all will vote for AAP in 2017 and have been paid to protest against me. Let them earn some money,” he said.

Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann said the protests were a sign of the panic in the minds of the political parties in Punjab. “More and more people are connecting to us after these protests, and hence they are acting as a blessing in disguise,” he said.