Journalism of Courage
Lt Gen (retd) H S Panag joined the Aam Aadmi Party Wednesday, but ruled out contesting the coming elections. Party leaders said others including former Infosys CFO V Bala, Lt Gen (retd) T K Chadha and retired IPS officer B L Vohra have also joined the AAP.
Late on Wednesday night, the AAP also confirmed that Soni Sori, accused of having Maoist links, had joined the party. “Soni Sori, brutally tortured by police in Chhattisgarh 4 her alleged links wid Maoists, joined AAP in her desperate bid to change the systm,” the party tweeted.
On Saturday, Sori told The Indian Express that she would contest the elections from Bastar, Chhatisgarh, on an AAP ticket. Panag, who recently completed his tenure as an administrative member of the Armed Forces Tribunal, said he would contribute towards raising issues concerning national security as well as those pertaining to defence personnel. “I cannot sit on an armchair and keep criticising political parties or only write about what shortcomings are there in the system. I felt it was time to make a difference. Of all the political parties, this is best for my kind of personality. Despite their shortcomings, the party is on a learning curve. It is a movement that has been launched,” said Panag, father of actor Gul Panag.
