With five Rajya Sabha seats from Punjab falling vacant in April, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced its candidates for these 5 vacancies. Having won Punjab with an overwhelming majority, AAP’s candidates are expected to sail through to Rajya Sabha.
AAP has nominated academician Sandeep Pathak, AAP’s Delhi MLA and national spokesperson Raghav Chadha, cricketer Harbhajan Singh, industrialist Sanjeev Arora, and Lovely Professional University’s chancellor Ashok Mittal. These 5 Rajya Sabha seats are currently held by Congress (2), Shiromani Akali Dal (2), and Bharatiya Janta Party (1).
However, immediately after the announcement, Congress party leaders have attacked AAP for promoting “Non-Punjabis” over Punjabis. Senior Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who once left Congress to join AAP before returning to Congress, has said in a tweet, “If this list of probable Rajya Sabha candidates by @AamAadmiParty is true its most saddening news for Punjab n will be the first discrimination for our state. We’ll oppose tooth n nail any non punjabi being nominated. This is also a joke with Aap workers who have worked fr d party”
In a subsequent tweet, Khaira reminded Bhagwant Mann of his statement on Bibi Khalra. He tweeted, “Instead of sending non punjabi’s and businessmen to Rajya Sabha @BhagwantMann should have honoured his commitment to nominate Bibi Paramjit Khalra victim of police brutality and champion of human rights in Punjab.”
Sukhpal Khaira was not the only Congress leader to raise this bogey of “Non-Punjabis”. Veteran Congress leader and former Indian Hockey captain Pargat Singh also expressed similar sentiments. In his tweet, Pargat Singh accused Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann of disrespecting the Punjab mandate by nominating people who have never stood up for Punjab.
Pargat Singh tweeted, “Rajya Sabha is a forum where the interests of the states are raised. @ArvindKejriwal has shown his real face by nominating those who have no history of standing up for Punjab. A couple of them even does not belong to Punjab. This surely is a betrayal of Punjab mandate. @BhagwantMann“
However, not every Congress leader was willing to attack AAP for their choice of Rajya Sabha candidates. Outgoing Rajya Sabha MP and veteran Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa said, “AAP reps got elected, it’s their call to nominate in RS. They had the strength, so they chose their people, whether from inside or outside, I don’t want to comment on it. 1st day should be of constructive Opposition, not my job to oppose for the sake.”
As several Congress leaders raise this issue of non-punjabis representing Punjab in Rajya Sabha, important to remember that former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was a 5 term Rajya Sabha MP from Assam.