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Bathinda LS seat: ‘Strategic distancing’: Tainted AAP legislators missing from campaign
The state agriculture minister Khudian, the first contender announced by any party, has started canvassing in the constituency in which the MLAs, office-bearers of the district units and other party leaders are participating
The absence of two graft-tainted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators Dr Vijay Singla and Amit Rattan Kotfatta from the campaign of Gurmeet Singh Khudian, the party’s nominee from the high-stakes Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, has drawn attention.
Singla, who represents the Mansa seat, on Monday, attributed his absence from canvassing to lack of “proper communication” from the Khudian’s team while the evasive Bathinda Rural MLA Kotfatta said he would soon start more vigorous campaigning in his constituency.
The Bathinda parliamentary seat has nine assembly segments from Bathinda, Mansa and Muktsar districts, which all are represented by AAP leaders.
The state agriculture minister Khudian, the first contender announced by any party, has started canvassing in the constituency in which the MLAs, office-bearers of the district units and other party leaders are participating.
Khudian, who had defeated the five-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal from the Lambi assembly segment in the last elections, is keeping the focus on his clean image and political legacy.
Khudian’s father late Jagdev Singh Khudian had contested the parliamentary elections from Faridkot on a SAD (Amritsar) ticket in 1989. Later, his body was fished out of a canal in Rajasthan and to date, his death remains a mystery.
Graft cases against the two MLAs
Singla and Kotfatta were arrested by the vigilance bureau during the AAP regime under corruption charges.
On May 24, 2022, Singla was removed as the health minister by chief minister Bhagwant Mann and arrested the same day for allegedly demanding 1% commission for tenders, worth thousands of crores for buying medicines, equipment and other material, passed by the health department.
In February last year, Kotfatta was arrested for allegedly demanding a bribe from a resident of Ghudha village that is part of his segment.
Political sources said the schedule of the initial election meetings was fixed by the top AAP leadership and invites were sent to MLAs and other party leaders accordingly.
“A section of AAP leadership opined that the tainted MLAs should be involved in LS polls only cautiously to avoid giving a tool to harm the electoral prospects of the party nominee. As and when it was felt their absence from electioneering would be interpreted as infighting, voices from the party joined to take them on board at all public platforms,” said an insider requesting anonymity.
MLAs play it down, say absence due to ‘communication gaps’
Khudian said on Monday that there were only communication gaps with Singla and Kotfatta which are being ironed out.
“The matter with Singla has been resolved while minor issues with Kotfatta will be sorted out this week. I am confident of their full support,” he added.
Singla and Kotfatta denied having any differences with the party leadership or Khudian.
Singla said that he did not attend election-related activities of Khudian as the communication extended for electioneering was not done according to the “protocol of the stature of an MLA”.
“Khudian is not only a party colleague but a close friend. However, there was a gap in the communication sent to me to attend his election meetings. The media has rightly noticed my absence from these programmes. Also, certain personal commitments kept me engaged and I had to skip Khudian’s meetings. But I will soon host political programmes in support of the party’s candidate as the issues have been sorted out,” added Singla.
Kotfatta tried to undermine his absence from Khudian’s political activities in his constituency and stated that he has been involved in the AAP’s activities at all levels.
“There may be a deliberate attempt by mischievous elements to create confusion that I am being sidelined. Anyone can join the electioneering but an MLA cannot be replaced in the party. I will soon organise and join Khudian’s campaign and post my political activities on social media,” added the MLA.
Meanwhile, Mansa MLA Singla met jailed AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal in New Delhi on April 6. He also posted pictures of the meeting on his Facebook page. The same day, Parminder Kaur Mander, wife of Amargarh MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case, met Sunita in Delhi.
