Chandigarh: Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday described AAP as a sinking ship, claiming more leaders were likely to leave after three had quit. They said Congress had no need for such “silent” leaders or political “baggage” whose conduct remained under question.Pargat compared AAP to a wall of sand that would collapse as more bricks came loose. Alleging that leaders facing questions over mining and other activities were moving to the BJP, he said changing parties would not absolve them of accountability. “We do not want to take in such baggage,” he said.He also questioned AAP’s treatment of former IPS officer and MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, asking what action he had taken in the Maur bomb blast case and what his stand would be if the BJP allied with SAD.The Congress leaders alleged that Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain had controlled Punjab’s govt from Delhi and presided over an alleged loot of Rs 50,000 crore. Bajwa claimed scrapping the 65,000-acre Land Pooling Scheme had saved Punjab from a potential loss of Rs 1.5 lakh crore.Pargat accused AAP of sidelining Punjab’s political leadership and said chief minister Bhagwant Mann would have to answer for the govt’s decisions.The leaders also expressed concern that the BJP could use the ED and CBI to pressure opposition leaders ahead of elections. Bajwa urged Congress workers not to succumb to such pressure.Pargat further alleged that the families of Parminder Singh Jhota, Daljit Singh and Ajay Kumar were facing pressure and unable to perform their last rites while their bodies remained in mortuaries.
