Congress Dalit MLA Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal joins AAP, likely to get Hoshiarpur ticket

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Chandigarh, March 15

Days after Congress MLA Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal carried a chain and lock to the Punjab Assembly, targeting the state government over poor handling of law and order, the Deputy Leader of Opposition joined the AAP at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence here on Friday. Chabbewal stepped down both from the Congress and state Assembly.

Second party leader to jump ship in week

• Deputy Leader of Opposition Raj Kumar Chabbewal (R) is second Congress leader from Punjab to join AAP within a week; Congress’ ex-Bassi Pathana MLA Gurpreet Singh GP recently joined party
• Chabbewal, who had been vocal critic of AAP govt & had carried a bale and iron chain to Assembly to flag concerns over debt & law and order, said he was impressed with AAP’s ‘pro-people’ policies

Sources in the AAP said the 54-year-old Dalit leader will be the likely party candidate from Hoshiarpur (reserved) constituency. He was elected twice to the state Assembly from the Chabbewal constituency. He lost the 2019 parliamentary elections to Som Parkash of the BJP.

The development is important in the context of another Dalit leader, Gurpreet Singh GP, who quit the Congress, recently being given the AAP ticket from the Fatehgarh Sahib (reserved) seat. At a press conference with AAP leaders, Chabbewal said: “I began my life in poverty. My father was a peon. Our education was his top priority. I joined politics only to work for the education of the poor and also their health. I was in the Congress for 12 years.” He added: “I left the Congress as I was finding it difficult to work in areas of my choice. I am joining the AAP as it has shown commitment towards improving education and health in the state.”

Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said Chabbewal was quitting the “negative energy” of the Congress to join AAP’s vision of revitalising youth. “We respect Chabbewal for his honesty in sharing his opinion on all major issues facing the state,” he said.

Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said more Opposition leaders who were convinced with AAP’s working over the past two years would join them in the coming days. MLA Manjit Singh Bilaspur was also present. During the recent Vidhan Sabha session, Chabbewal had carried a bale on his head to highlight Punjab’s mounting debt under the AAP government. Asked about having protested against the state government on different occasions, Chabbewal said: “I was playing my role in the Opposition by drawing government’s attention towards different needs of the hour.”