Congress leader Tarsem Sialka, supporters join AAP in Amritsar district

Amritsar, May 7

Aam Aadmi Party workers and leaders, including party nominee for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, here on Tuesday welcomed Tarsem Singh Sialka, who was in-charge of the Attari assembly constituency of the Congress party and had contested the 2022 assembly elections, his son Husanpreet Singh Sialka, district vice-president of the Youth Congress and Kamal Nahar, president of the Safai Workers’ Union, Amritsar, into the party fold.

The election campaign of Cabinet Minister Dhaliwal got a boost when Sialka, who was in-charge of the Attari assembly constituency of the Congress and had contested from the seat in the 2022 assembly elections, joined AAP with his colleagues here on Monday. Dilbagh Wadali said he was being pressured by senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia and Akali Lok Sabha candidate Anil Joshi to join the SAD, but he chose to be with AAP and will work hard for the victory of Kuldeep Dhaliwal.

In his address, Sialka said nepotism was rampant in the Congress party and common workers were ignored. He said AAP valued work and performance of its party workers.

On the occasion, Lok Sabha in-charge Iqbal Singh Bhullar, Majitha constituency in-charge Jagwinder Pal Singh Jagga, AAP district president Manish Aggarwal, senior leader Talbir Singh Gill, state vice-president Youth Wing Kunal Dhawan, district secretary Mukhwinder Singh Virdi were accompanying him.

Meanwhile, state joint secretary, Intellectual Wing, AAP, Prof HS Walia organised a public meeting at Gopal Nagar Majitha Road here on Tuesday. Amritsar North MLA Dr Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh was also present.

Welcoming the gathering, Prof Walia said under successive governments led by either the Akali-BJP regime or the Congress (from 1980 to 2022), Punjab came under two vicious traps — debt trap and slow growth. Consequently in terms of per capita income, Punjab slipped from top position to 17th rank. Kunwar Vijay raised the issues pertaining to leasing out of Children Park in Company Bagh to a private entity for vested interests while ignoring the norms. He flayed the wasteful expenditure incurred on fixing tiles during the tenure of the then Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi.