Journalist-turned-politician Jarnail Singh, who shot into limelight after hurling a shoe on the then home minister P Chidambaram and became the man of moment in the Aam Admi Party (AAP) in the 2015 Delhi assembly polls, is out of reckoning five years down the line.
He is upset over AAP not giving him ticket from any of the 70 assembly constituencies in the national capital which will go to the polls on February 8. Jarnail (46), who is holding the post of vice-chairman in the Delhi government’s Punjabi Academy since July 2017, said “his party could have made better use of him”.
“I will work for the party as I have been doing in the past. But I didn’t get any communication regarding campaigning for the forthcoming polls,” he said.
Born in Delhi and having worked as a journalist in the vernacular press for 12 years, Jarnail’s life took a turn in April 2009 when he hurled a shoe on Chidambaram in protest against the Congress’ alleged sheltering of the perpetrators of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
“I will keep working for the cause of the Panth (community) no matter I contest elections or not,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“I will keep working for the cause of the Panth (community) no matter I contest elections or not,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}In 2015, he won from Rajouri Garden on AAP ticket but resigned as MLA in 2017 when he unsuccessfully contested against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patriarch Parkash Singh Badal on his home turf Lambi during the Punjab assembly elections. AAP had made him Punjab affairs co-incharge ahead of the polls.
AAP has announced to field two Sikh candidates — Jarnail Singh Chhota (Tilak Nagar) and Praladh Singh Sahni (Chandni Chownk) in the Delhi polls.