Former Aam Aadmi Party leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Wednesday said the party deserved praise for the victory in the Delhi Assembly polls but claimed that it was difficult to revive its fortunes in Punjab.
He alleged that the party was never “sincere” towards Punjab, resulting in the loss of the golden opportunity in the 2017 State Assembly polls, when it bagged 20 seats.
Replying to a question, Mr. Khaira, who was elected on the AAP symbol from Bholath constituency in 2017, ruled out the possibility of rejoining the party with “conditions”.
AAP won 62 out of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly.
“It is a huge victory and they deserve praise for it,” said Mr. Khaira.
“If one thinks that whatever has happened in Delhi could suddenly happen in Punjab, it does not appear so because their conduct towards the State had not been sincere,” he said.
The former AAP leader said the circumstances in Punjab were different from the national capital, which was “flush with funds and has got huge revenue”.
“If one says they could win the Punjab polls by improving conditions of hospitals and schools, Punjab has complicated and multifarious political issues,” he said.
‘Opportunity lost’
“They must have dealt with Delhi differently but they lost a golden opportunity in the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections. It was a rare opportunity which they lost it and won just 20 seats,” said Mr. Khaira, claiming that the party didn’t go for course correction.
“The party never bothered to review the poll results and fixed the responsibility,” he alleged.
Removed from post
Mr. Khaira, who had joined AAP in 2015, was removed from the post of the leader of the opposition in the State Assembly in July 2018. Six months later, he quit AAP and floated his Punjab Ekta Party.
Mr. Khaira had resigned as MLA in April last year and contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Bathinda, which he failed to win.
AAP had won four Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in the 2014 polls and one in the 2019 elections.
