Punjab polls: BJP, AAP working in collusion, says Sunil Jakhar

Congress campaign committee chairman and former Punjab unit president Sunil Jakhar on Friday accused the BJP and AAP of working in collusion with each other

Congress campaign committee chairman and former state unit president Sunil Jakhar on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of being in collusion with each other.

Former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar also said the Shiromani Akali Dal remained closely associated with the BJP.

Calling them two sides of the same coin, Jakhar said the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was also closely associated with the BJP. “These two parties are the agents of the BJP. If you cast your vote to any of them, then your will be in favour of the BJP only,” he said in a press conference at Punjab Congress Bhawan, the state headquarters of the party. Pawan Khera, party national spokesperson and media and communication in-charge of Punjab Congress, and party leader Himanshu Pathak were also present.

Jakhar made an appeal to the electors to select the party wisely before casting their vote, keeping in mind that the SAD was a partner of the BJP at the time the three farm laws were introduced. “Why go through agents? They (BJP) should ask for votes directly,” he said. The campaign committee chairman also asked the Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, a political outfit set up by a group of farmers’ organisations to contest the elections, not to let the sacrifice of 750 farmers who died during the agitation against the farm laws go waste and see that the BJP does not benefit.

Referring to the Hijab row in educational institutions in Karnataka, Jakhar said the BJP government was stopping people of a community from wearing their religious attire. “If the BJP or its agents come to power in Punjab, they might try the same here to restrict Sikhs from wearing turban,” he warned, terming it a “wake-up call”.