‘We already have majority’, Amarinder Singh on AAP allegations of ‘buying MLAs’

Chandigarh | Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday trashed AAP’s allegations that opposition MLAs were offered money and plum posts to switch over to the Congress, saying the Arvind Kejriwal-led party was frustrated over its failure in garnering support in the state and indulging in gimmickry.

He asked why would the Congress buy opposition MLAs when it already has a majority in the state assembly.

“It’s a case of sheer frustration over AAP’s complete failure to mop up support and keep the party intact in Punjab,” he said.

“AAP has completely lost its narrative in Punjab and was reduced to indulging in all kinds of gimmickry and fabrications in a desperate bid to retain some semblance of being a serious party,” he added.

The chief minister said hurling false accusations at the Congress was not going to help the AAP regain lost ground.

Aam Aadmi Party’s state unit president and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann had earlier alleged that the Congress had been offering up to Rs 10 crore and plum posts to AAP MLAs in the state to make them switch over to the Congress before the polling for the 13 LS seats in Punjab.

Meanwhile, Singh on Sunday welcomed former MLA Vijay Kumar Sathi back into the party fold, claiming the influx into the Punjab Congress was a sign of the growing disenchantment within other parties active in the state’s political arena.

Sathi had quit the party’s primary membership in January 2015, along with several others in support of former MP Jagmeet Singh Brar.

A former Janata Dal MLA from Bagha Purana, Sathi said he would work hard for the success of the Congress in parliamentary polls, and thereafter.

Singh said he was happy to have Sathi back in the Congress and was confident the party would benefit from his experience.

The polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held in the seventh and final phase on May 19.