Awaaz-e-Punjab to Look at Alliance Prospects With Congress or AAP
The decision was taken by the front representatives at a five-hour-long meeting at Sidhu’s Delhi house last night.
Days after announcing that the Awaaz-e-Punjab, formed by former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, would not float a political party to contest the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, the front on Monday said it will look at the prospects of forging an alliance with Congress or AAP, while ruling out the possibility of joining a fourth front.
The decision was taken by the front representatives at a five-hour-long meeting at Sidhu’s Delhi house last night, said Ludhiana MLA Simarjit Singh Bains who is a part of the front. Besides Sidhu, the meeting was attended by MLAs Pargat Singh and Balwinder Bains.
We have decided to look at the possibilities in theCongress and the AAP to see which party has a strong agenda for Punjab and which can look after the state’s interests. After that, we will take a decision on forging an alliance with either of the parties to contest the Assembly polls on a common minimum agenda. The common minimum agenda will be not to let the anti-incumbency votes get divided in order to stop the Badals from retaining power in PunjabBalwinder Bains
Asked when the decision in this regard will be taken, Bains replied “within a few days”, adding that Sidhu has been entrusted with the task.
He said Awaaz-e-Punjab was opposed to the idea of a “fourth front” as proposed by suspended AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi and sacked AAP Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur.
The agenda of the meeting was to have a Badal-mukt (Badal-free) Punjab and not to let the anti-incumbency votes get divided, so that the Badals do not come to power again. If the Badals retain power due to the fourth front, it will be a huge loss for Punjab. Therefore, we will appeal to Gandhi, Chhotepur and other like-minded people not to create a fourth front as it will directly benefit the Badals in the polls. Pargat has been assigned the duty to appeal to Gandhi and Chhotepur in this regard.
Cricketer-turned-politician Sidhu, a few days back, had announced that he would not float a party to contest the Punjab polls as he did not wish to play “spoilsport” by dividing the anti-incumbency votes.