“Eh koyi vakhri hawa hai. Pehlan nahi vekhi (this is a different kind of movement. Haven’t experienced it earlier),” says 82-year-old Labh Singh of Samana as he sums up the mood of the masses on the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Labh Singh was among the hundreds of persons who had come to attend a rally by the AAP in Samana grain market on their own on Wednesday last.
READ: SAD core committee deliberates on AAP surge, Capt’s popularity
As the rallyists waited patiently in the sweltering heat for MP Bhagwant Mann and state party convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur to reach the venue, groups of youth carrying the AAP symbol broom and flags zoomed in on their bikes.
The wide grain market is all open for them to park anywhere. There are no rows of buses and trucks usually seen in rallies of the Akalis and Congress.
“We have come here on our own, spending money from our pockets. No one ferried us. We don’t arm twist government officials, private transporters, school managements to arrange vehicles for filling the rally venue,” said Mandeep Singh and Sahil Singh, two students of the local Public College.
Why are they at the rally instead of the college? “We want to contribute to the change we are dreaming of in the state. The road to our college has been dotted with potholes for years. Our seniors and elder brothers and sisters are jobless despite holding two post-graduate degrees. We are frustrated at the daily police action against protesters who were unemployed or lowly paid or want regularisation,” say Balkar Singh and Happy Singh, who are also students.
Nirmal Singh, a middle-aged farmer from Shahpur village near Samana, is perspiring heavily in the humid afternoon. In between, he and his friends sneeze badly as heaps of red chillies are lying in the grain market.
He has been voting for the Akalis or Congress earlier, but the mood now is different. “We have seen all parties. Why not try AAP now?” he said.
He and others do not seem to be bothered by the cracks within the party and the absence of a clear leader in the state. “We are not looking at any face, any individual. We are for AAP. We feel they will deliver. We will vote for any Tom, Dick or Harry,” said Amandeep Singh, another youth.
AAP’s ‘no different’
Parmjot Singh, a NRI based in Canada, tells another side of the story. He had spent months in Punjab and Delhi campaigning for Arvind Kejriwal during the Lok Sabha poll.
A criminal case was lodged against him by the highly politicised Punjab Police. The widely publicised case, suggestive of political vendetta, was cancelled by the high court early this year.
Talking to The Tribune from Canada, Parmjot recalls how he spent time and money, but was later discarded by the party. “AAP was formed on the basis of transparency and democracy. It is all autocracy now. It is no different from other parties.”
Parmjot now runs several groups and pages on social media to expose the AAP. “I fought the case against me on my own. I didn’t join AAP seeking a ticket or benefits. But later, the leaders started fighting against one another. Anyone who raised his voice or had a different opinion was sidelined. Punjab was left to outsiders or leaders with tainted past. It is 56 weeks since Kejriwal visited the state whose residents provided him with the base of four Lok Sabha seats.”
An ‘evolving party’
The organisation structure of the party needs much work. There is chaos at the stage on who would manage it till the main speakers arrive. There is commotion and confusion at the venue gates.
Col LJS Gill (retd), an active volunteer of AAP and one of the organisers for the party’s rally in Morinda today, hits the nail on its head with his reading of the situation.
“Each party goes through an evolution process. Some leave, others join the campaign. The organisation structure is built gradually. No doubt, some of the speakers are main crowd pullers, but the party is bigger than the individual,” he said.
He and an Indian-born British resident Dilpreet Gill have been with the party since its inception. They are not bothered by the divisions in the party.
Participants wait till last moment
Sangrur: AAP had organised its first ‘Punjab Joro’ rally on September 2 at Dirba in Sangrur district. This rally was a grand success as thousands of people attended the rally on their own, participated in it with great enthusiasm and heard the speakers till the last moment. Many participants had said -- on that day -- that nobody had asked them to attend the rally and they had come to the rally on their own as they were feeling suffocated under the current political regime. — Sushil Goyal
AAP eyes Akali stronghold
Ludhiana: The growing influence of the Aam Aadmi Party could cause a considerable dent in the rural belt of Ludhiana to the SAD, which is known as its stronghold. Thursday's rally at Mullapur Dakha and Raikot, which witnessed a huge crowd and prompted the police to arrest some AAP workers, is testimony to the swelling influence of AAP. It was this area which led to the downfall of MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali who was the SAD contender during the Lok Sabha election. — Mohit Khanna
Rakhar Punya rallies give party hope
Amritsar: With AAP organising successful rallies on Rakhar Punya at Baba Bakala last month, the party workers seem very hopeful. “If you add the number of people who attended both rallies, it will be a huge number,” said Ravinder Sultanwind, a local leader. MPs Harinder Singh Khalsa and Dr Dharmvira Gandhi had organised a separate rally on the occasion. Apart from those rallies, AAP hasn’t held any major events in the district. The party's rallies in Ajnala and Majitha next month will be its real test. — Manmeet Singh Gill
Labh Singh was among the hundreds of persons who had come to attend a rally by the AAP in Samana grain market on their own on Wednesday last.
READ: SAD core committee deliberates on AAP surge, Capt’s popularity
As the rallyists waited patiently in the sweltering heat for MP Bhagwant Mann and state party convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur to reach the venue, groups of youth carrying the AAP symbol broom and flags zoomed in on their bikes.
The wide grain market is all open for them to park anywhere. There are no rows of buses and trucks usually seen in rallies of the Akalis and Congress.
“We have come here on our own, spending money from our pockets. No one ferried us. We don’t arm twist government officials, private transporters, school managements to arrange vehicles for filling the rally venue,” said Mandeep Singh and Sahil Singh, two students of the local Public College.
Why are they at the rally instead of the college? “We want to contribute to the change we are dreaming of in the state. The road to our college has been dotted with potholes for years. Our seniors and elder brothers and sisters are jobless despite holding two post-graduate degrees. We are frustrated at the daily police action against protesters who were unemployed or lowly paid or want regularisation,” say Balkar Singh and Happy Singh, who are also students.
Nirmal Singh, a middle-aged farmer from Shahpur village near Samana, is perspiring heavily in the humid afternoon. In between, he and his friends sneeze badly as heaps of red chillies are lying in the grain market.
He has been voting for the Akalis or Congress earlier, but the mood now is different. “We have seen all parties. Why not try AAP now?” he said.
He and others do not seem to be bothered by the cracks within the party and the absence of a clear leader in the state. “We are not looking at any face, any individual. We are for AAP. We feel they will deliver. We will vote for any Tom, Dick or Harry,” said Amandeep Singh, another youth.
AAP’s ‘no different’
Parmjot Singh, a NRI based in Canada, tells another side of the story. He had spent months in Punjab and Delhi campaigning for Arvind Kejriwal during the Lok Sabha poll.
A criminal case was lodged against him by the highly politicised Punjab Police. The widely publicised case, suggestive of political vendetta, was cancelled by the high court early this year.
Talking to The Tribune from Canada, Parmjot recalls how he spent time and money, but was later discarded by the party. “AAP was formed on the basis of transparency and democracy. It is all autocracy now. It is no different from other parties.”
Parmjot now runs several groups and pages on social media to expose the AAP. “I fought the case against me on my own. I didn’t join AAP seeking a ticket or benefits. But later, the leaders started fighting against one another. Anyone who raised his voice or had a different opinion was sidelined. Punjab was left to outsiders or leaders with tainted past. It is 56 weeks since Kejriwal visited the state whose residents provided him with the base of four Lok Sabha seats.”
An ‘evolving party’
The organisation structure of the party needs much work. There is chaos at the stage on who would manage it till the main speakers arrive. There is commotion and confusion at the venue gates.
Col LJS Gill (retd), an active volunteer of AAP and one of the organisers for the party’s rally in Morinda today, hits the nail on its head with his reading of the situation.
“Each party goes through an evolution process. Some leave, others join the campaign. The organisation structure is built gradually. No doubt, some of the speakers are main crowd pullers, but the party is bigger than the individual,” he said.
He and an Indian-born British resident Dilpreet Gill have been with the party since its inception. They are not bothered by the divisions in the party.
Participants wait till last moment
Sangrur: AAP had organised its first ‘Punjab Joro’ rally on September 2 at Dirba in Sangrur district. This rally was a grand success as thousands of people attended the rally on their own, participated in it with great enthusiasm and heard the speakers till the last moment. Many participants had said -- on that day -- that nobody had asked them to attend the rally and they had come to the rally on their own as they were feeling suffocated under the current political regime. — Sushil Goyal
AAP eyes Akali stronghold
Ludhiana: The growing influence of the Aam Aadmi Party could cause a considerable dent in the rural belt of Ludhiana to the SAD, which is known as its stronghold. Thursday's rally at Mullapur Dakha and Raikot, which witnessed a huge crowd and prompted the police to arrest some AAP workers, is testimony to the swelling influence of AAP. It was this area which led to the downfall of MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali who was the SAD contender during the Lok Sabha election. — Mohit Khanna
Rakhar Punya rallies give party hope
Amritsar: With AAP organising successful rallies on Rakhar Punya at Baba Bakala last month, the party workers seem very hopeful. “If you add the number of people who attended both rallies, it will be a huge number,” said Ravinder Sultanwind, a local leader. MPs Harinder Singh Khalsa and Dr Dharmvira Gandhi had organised a separate rally on the occasion. Apart from those rallies, AAP hasn’t held any major events in the district. The party's rallies in Ajnala and Majitha next month will be its real test. — Manmeet Singh Gill
