Harbhajan Singh's googly: 'AAP hasn’t asked me to campaign'

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, May 16

Ever since the AAP has released its list of star campaigners wherein the names of its Rajya Sabha MPs hailing from Jalandhar, including cricketer Harbhajan Singh, educationist Ashok Mittal and environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal do not figure, the trio seems to have got some much-needed reprieve as they were not keen on campaigning.

Can’t canvass on my own

No one from the party has asked me if I will like to campaign for them. My name is not there on the list of star campaigners. Without being assigned a duty, I cannot come on my own and be a part of canvassing. Harbhajan Singh, MP

While Seechewal had been maintaining that he had told the top brass at the time of his induction that he would not get involved politically, all of them now conveniently say that since their names do not even figure on the star campaigners’ list of AAP, there is no point in stepping into the political battlefield.

‘Not a good orator’

May be, I am not being asked to campaign since I am not a very good political orator. — Ashok Mittal, MP

Bhajji said, “No one from the party has asked me if I will like to campaign for them. My name is not there on the list of star campaigners. Without being assigned a duty, I cannot come on my own and be a part of canvassing,” he said.

Told top brass in advance

Balbir Seechewal had been maintaining that he had told the party top brass at the time of his induction into the Rajya Sabha that he would not get involved politically

On reports that he was not in touch with anyone from the party, Bhajji said, “It is not like that. I called up Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann just a few days ago when party supremo Arvind Kejriwal was to be released from the Tihar Jail. I told him that I was planning to come to Punjab soon. But he didn’t ask me to join the campaigning. Rather, he simply said that we shall catch up.”

The “Turbanator” said, “I stand by the party and will surely be part of any political activity I am invited to. It is not that I have not campaigned for it earlier. I did canvassing for AAP candidates in Gujarat around 18 months ago. If I could do it then, why should I have a problem doing it now in my own state?”

On not changing his display photo on social media accounts with Kejriwal’s lock-up picture, he maintained that no one from the party high command had asked him to do so. Over his controversial post wherein he had said that he would definitely go to the Ram Temple and that it does not matter to him which party goes or does not go, he said, “I simply meant that I have faith in Ram and no one can stop me from going to Ayodhya Temple. I have not gone there yet.”

Unlike Bhajji, Seechewal and Mittal have had frequent meetings with the AAP leadership. Mittal met party supremo and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and CM Mann in Amritsar. He paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and Durgiana Mandir with them. Mittal said, “May be, I am not being asked to campaign since I am not a very good political orator.”

Even on his social media accounts, Mittal has been asking his followers to “choose wisely” while not specifying any party they should vote for.