Lt Gen Panag joins AAP, says it’s ‘the best for me’

“I cannot sit in an armchair and keep criticising political parties or only write about shortcomings in the system. I felt it was time to make a difference. Of all the political parties, this is the best for my kind of personality. Despite their shortcomings, the party is on a learning curve. It is a movement that has been launched,” he said. “Their leaders are nice, polite and humble people.”

Panag, who is based in Panchkula, asserted that he was not at all interested in contesting the election or applying for the ticket. He said he hoped to raise issues pertaining to the defence personnel, both serving and retired, as well as advise the party on issues of national security.

Maintaining that the AAP was attracting the lower middle class as well as the intelligentsia, he said that the party was in the process of formulating its views on different policy matters.

Lt Gen Panag is among a host of well-known people who have joined the party. Earlier, Savita Bhatti, wife of the late actor Jaspal Bhatti, had joined the AAP. So had Nirmal Kaur, wife of veteran athlete Milkha Singh. Several former bureaucrats, industrialists and traders have also taken the AAP membership.

In fact, more than 200 people have applied for the AAP ticket for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. At present, the process of scrutinising the applications is on.