Ticket prospect for Cheema fuels internal feud in AAP

Gagandeep Singh

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 2

As anticipated, the rift among the claimants for AAP tickets has started surfacing as the party plans to release its first list of candidates.

As there were reports of former SSP and Arjuna awardee Sajjan Singh Cheema getting the ticket from Sultanpur Lodhi, party volunteers from the constituency today levelled serious allegations at him via an affidavit signed by ex-councillor Raja Gurpreet Singh, NRI Sukhwant Singh Padda and sarpanch Daljit Singh. They even threatened to launch an agitation if he is chosen as a party candidate for the upcoming Assembly elections.

In a letter that they have shot off to national AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, they have alleged that Cheema had accumulated properties worth crores in the name of his family in Punjab and abroad. They alleged that his family had even usurped 20 acres of panchayat land at Damulia village.

They said they had already approached senior party leadership, including AAP co-convener Durgesh Pathak and blamed the party leaders for not thoroughly examining the records of the people before making them join the party.

Addressing the mediapersons here today, AAP volunteers, including circle presidents of the area, Jang Bahadur Singh, Kulwant Singh, Ranjeet Singh, KS Dhaliwal, Angrez Singh, Nachhatar Singh and Neelam Masih George, alleged that during his services in the police, Sajjan Singh Cheema remained very close to the Badal family. “He was more of a ‘jathedar’ than a police officer,” they alleged.

They also levelled corruption allegations against Cheema. He said some ineligible people like Sajjan Singh Cheema have joined the party that would potentially harm the party.

On the other hand, Sajjan Singh Cheema termed the allegations made by the volunteers as baseless and a bundle of lies to scuttle his selection at this point of time. “There is not an iota of truth in what they have submitted. They have no evidence against me. The panchayat land has been taken by my family for cultivation on contract in an open auction,” he said. “I was close to Manpreet Badal, who has now joined the Congress. Apart from this, I have no connection with the Badal family and SAD,” he said.

Fact file 

In a letter shot off to national AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, volunteers have alleged that Cheema had accumulated properties worth crores in the name of his family in Punjab and abroad. His family had even usurped 20 acres of panchayat land at Damulia village.