Congress leader Gurpreet Gogi joins AAP

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 11

Senior Congress leader and Chairman of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC), Gurpreet Singh Gogi has joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Chandigarh today. He is the former president of the district Congress.

Gogi, who is at present the councillor from Ward 76 of Ludhiana city, joined AAP in the presence of party’s Punjab president Bhagwant Singh Mann.

Gogi was stated to be disappointed due to Minister and Ludhiana West MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu. “I left the Congress only due to one reason and that is Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu as he caused a damage to the party. I will expose scams soon,” he alleged.

Gogi said: “I joined AAP as it has done a lot of development works in Delhi.”

AAP is yet to announce its candidate from the Ludhiana West constituency. Sources said Gogi might be fielded as the AAP candidate from Ludhiana West. Gogi also remained the leader of opposition in the last MC House. After 2018 MC elections, Gogi was in the race to become the city Mayor but the name of Balkar Singh Sandhu, who is close to Bharat Bhushan Ashu, was announced as the Mayor. Gogi was later appointed as the Chairman of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC).

When the MC had conducted an anti-encroachment drive in a slum area near Rose Garden in December 2020, Gogi had accused the MC of displacing poor people without ensuring their rehabilitation during the winter season. Many of those people were said to be supporters of Gogi. —