Punjab’s AAP convener, Sucha Singh Chotepur, has made it clear that he had no plans to quit the party,
His comments came amidst growing media speculation that Chotepur was all set to be removed from the party.
Speaking to reporters, he said, “I worked for AAP so hard, and brought it so far ahead, put my blood and sweat into it. I have brought AAP Punjab this far, why will I quit the party? If I have done anything wrong, they should order a CBI inquiry against me. I am an honest man. AAP mujhe phasa rahi hai, aur mere virodhi mujhe defend kar rahe hain.”
He said that it was ‘most unfortunate’ that a person no less than a deputy chief minister had carried out a sting operation against him.
He said, “Agar Deputy CM kisiki recording karta hai, apni convener ki toh main samajta hoon ki yeh bohut badkismati ki baat hai. Deputy CM ka level yeh nhi hona chahiye, yeh ek jasoos (detective) ka level hai.”
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh recently came out in defence of AAP convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur even as a purported video clip of Chhotepur accepting money went viral.
Terming the ‘so called’ sting operation ‘planned and engineered,’ Singh slammed AAP for its ‘dirty tricks.’
21 AAP leaders from Punjab, including MPs Bhagwant Mann and Sadhu Singh, have shot off a letter to party convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking him to immediately sack Chhotepur from the party.
“We are upset and disappointed to see reports in regard to acceptance of bribe by Chhotepur,” they said in the missive.
“Our partys principles of zero tolerance towards corruption must be followed and such a corrupt person (referring to Chhotepur) must be immediately removed,” they said while asking Kejriwal to replace Chhotepur with an honest person.
The party has taken a stern view of the charges against Chottepur and has convened a high-level meeting tomorrow in Delhi to decide the fate of the AAP leader.
Chhotepur is in the eye of storm after a video clip surfaced allegedly showing him taking money in a purported sting operation, which has been seen by Kejriwal earlier this month.
When contacted, AAP spokesperson and Delhi MLA Jarnail Singh said, “A few state leaders have written to the party leadership. The Political Affairs Committee (of AAP) will take a final call on the matter.”
However, party sources said Chhotepur is most likely to be suspended from the party.
