Balbir Singh Rajewal: ‘Have proof (that AAP sold ticket)…will make it public at right time’

SSM was in talks with AAP for an alliance. What went wrong?

I feel pity for (Bhagwant) Mann because their campaign posters say ‘Ikk Mauka Kejriwal nu’. Mann is nowhere. He has been pitched to befool voters for some days. Ultimately Kejriwal will say he wants to lead. AAP misled people using our name. I never said that I wanted to join AAP or become CM, but they used my name and defamed me. They launched a whispering campaign to gain political mileage, by saying that I will be their CM candidate, a face all will be proud of. It was their calculated move.

You claimed that SSM has proof of AAP selling tickets.

Yes, we have evidence and we will make it public four days ahead of polls. I gave the evidence to AAP but Kejriwal told media that it just had ‘aam baatein’ (regular talks). Of course, he can’t say those proofs are against AAP because otherwise his whole campaign will be derailed. We will make those proofs public at the right time.

People of Punjab know you as a farm union leader. How will you manage politics?

For five decades, apart from being a farmer, I have also worked for the public welfare. I got around a hundred women from underprivileged families married. I was the first to launch a drive against drugs in Punjab when synthetic drugs were not in picture. My idol is philanthropist Bhagat Puran Singh and I run a school in his memory. At the Malwa College Samrala, we also run the largest library.

What was your past political affiliation?

I never joined any political party but as an organisation, we kept supporting different parties such as SAD-BJP, Congress and even AAP. We always tried to choose the lesser evil. I was said to be very close to former CMs Parkash Singh Badal and Captain Amarinder Singh because I always took people’s problems to them and since I always had logic, they listened to me. Not because I was close to them but because my demands had reason. We have solved many issues as per law.

Why should people vote for SSM candidates?

I do not think there will be any urban and rural divide in Punjab when people will vote. SSM has given tickets to industrialists, traders and Scs, all of them are qualified and want to do sewa. Other parties have given tickets to incapable people after taking money.