A day after rebel leader Kumar Vishwas accused AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal of associating with separatist elements in Punjab, party leader Raghav Chadha asked Vishwas why he did not inform security agencies about his concerns. Vishwas hit back at Chadha, saying he would come forward with several conversations he had with Kejriwal if the Delhi Chief Minister comes face-to-face with him. Earlier, Vishwas had told ANI that during the 2017 elections, he warned Kejriwal not to go with “fringe elements”, separatists and forces associated with the Khalistani movement. “But he said, nahin ho jayega (it will be done). One day, he told me… ‘ya toh main ek swantatra sube ka mukhyamantri banoonga (I’ll either be the chief minister of an independent state)…’ I then told him that’s separatism… To which he said, ‘Theek hai, toh mein swantantra desh ka pehla pradhan mantri banoonga (Ok, then I’ll be the first PM of an independent nation’.” Chadha, who is AAP’s Punjab polls in-charge, said Thursday that Vishwas would have to explain why he remained in the party till 2018, despite claiming that the conversation between him and Kejriwal took place in 2017. “The people who are issuing fake videos to say Kejriwal is an terrorist, I want to ask them, I want to ask Kumar Vishwas, why was he silent between 2017 and now? You recalled these things 10 hours before elections? If this conversation indeed took place, why was he silent till now? If this was the case, why did you not approach security agencies. Were you involved? You said this statement was made in 2017. You were with the party in 2016, 2017 and 2018. When you did not get a RS seat, you started this propaganda. If this was said in 2016-17, why did you not leave the party? Why did you not leave in 2018? The people of Punjab and the country will not forgive you for making these false allegations. You are calling editors of newspapers and channels and pressuring them to run this or you will get them raided,” Chadha alleged. A founding member of the party, Vishwas was at one time considered among the leaders closest to Kejriwal and Sisodia, who was a childhood friend. Vishwas also defended Kejriwal when the party took action against former members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav for “anti-party activities” in 2015. On Thursday, Vishwas said: “Some cronies of the self-obsessed man (referring to Kejriwal) are giving statements. They came into the picture after our sweat and blood brought the party to power, only to enjoy the fruits. Send your leader. I will show people the messages you sent." Punjab goes to the polls on Sunday. Polling was earlier scheduled for February 14. The date was changed later as it was too close to the Sant Ravidas Jayanti celebrations, for which thousands of devotees from Punjab go to Varanasi.
