Three months after Punjab poll rout, Arvind Kejriwal visits Amritsar

Kejriwal landed at the Amritsar airport in the morning and headed for the Golden Temple to pay obeisance. He was accompanied by AAP Punjab chief Bhagwant Mann, leader of opposition HS Phoolka and Talwandi Sabo MLA Baljinder Kaur among others.

Three months after the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) rout in the Punjab assembly elections, Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal reached Amritsar on Monday and stressed the need for strengthening the party’s organisational structure in the state.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal along with AAP Punjab chief Bhagwant Mann, leader of opposition HS Phoolka and Talwandi Sabo MLA Baljinder Kaur and others paying obeisance at Golden Temple in Amritsar on Monday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT Photo)

The Delhi CM, who landed at the Amritsar airport in the morning and headed for the Golden Temple to pay obeisance, said the AAP’s new Punjab unit will pacify the annoyed party workers and start an “andolan” (movement) against the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress government for its “failure” to fulfil the pre-poll promises.

Later, addressing party workers at a resort, Kejriwal said: “More powers will be given to booth-level party workers, presidents of village-level committees in the new party setup. All party MLAs will be asked to redress party workers’ grievances on priority.”

‘Capt should apologise’

“Amarinder had promised one job per family, farm debt waiver and even smartphones to the youth. But not even a single promise has been fulfilled to date,” he said. Referring to recent school board results, Kejriwal said: “Education level in the state is poor and farmers are still committing suicides.”

Arvind Kejriwal addressing party workers in Amritsar on Monday.

Party’s Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who expressed displeasure when Bhagwant Mann was made the Punjab convener, said workers and volunteers were being ignored in taking important decisions within the party. “We need to give grassroots workers more say in the decision-making process,” said Khaira.

Indiscipline won’t be tolerated: Mann

Addressing party workers, Mann said: “Assembly poll results were not as per our expectations but we don’t have to give up hope. We need to form a strong party structure again. I will meet disgruntled workers and bring them back into the party fold.”

Warning that there was no room for indiscipline in the party, he said action would be taken against workers and leaders found posting wrong information about party on the social media.

Party MLAs, leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly HS Phoolka and party’s Punjab co-convener Aman Arora were also present. Meanwhile, Congress workers waived black flags as Kejriwal’s convoy as he was heading towards the private resort.

.