Chandigarh: Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Wednesday termed the AAP observers’ meeting in Jalandhar a “damage control exercise”.He said the meeting came at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party was “facing serious internal turmoil and loss of credibility”.“The AAP is trying to create an artificial show of strength, but the reality on the ground is very different. People of Punjab have already seen through their false promises and governance failures. No amount of staged meetings can change that,” said the Congress leader.The Ludhiana MP said, “These are the very workers who stood with them during the 2022 elections and ensured their victory. But after coming to power, the AAP sidelined its grassroots workers and rewarded millionaires by sending them to the Rajya Sabha. Now, when those very people are leaving, the party has suddenly remembered its cadre.”“The recent exits from the Rajya Sabha are only the beginning, and more leaders and workers are likely to distance themselves from the party in the coming time,” Warring added.Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira termed the meeting a “childish play”. The Bholath legislator, in a social media post, wrote: “Childish play of @AamAadmiParty MLAs including Speaker @SpeakerSandhwan at Jalandhar today!”“It’s now sure that @ArvindKejriwal and @BhagwantMann are dead scared of defections, hence they are trying to keep watch on their MLAs by such gimmicks,” he added.Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal described the AAP meeting as “shameful”.Badal, on his X handle, posted: “Yet another shameful display by the ruling @AamAadmiParty leadership! While people suffer long power cuts, farmers sit in mandis guarding their crops day and night, employees await pending DA and pensionary benefits, and lawlessness rules the streets — AAP MLAs, ministers and even the Vidhan Sabha Speaker are shamelessly playing hula-hoop games and dancing to the tunes of @msisodia.“
