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Serious blunders of AAP during Youth Manifesto release likely to spark strong reactions

July 5, 2016 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party, which received unexpected response in Punjab during last Lok Sabha elections, has launched a massive campaign to capture power in the state during Punjab polls 2017. Party has launched Bolda Punjab or the Punjab Dialogue campaign to prepare it’s election manifesto. The first part of the manifesto, which pertains to AAP’s election promises with the youth, was released on 3 July 2016 during a rally in Amritsar.

AAP Youth Manifesto’s title cover has images of the Darbar Sahib, Arvind Kejriwal with folded hands and broom (Jhaaro) – which is election symbol of the Aam Aadmi Party. Addressing the gathering during the manifesto launch rally, party leader Ashish Khetan equated the party’s youth manifesto with ‘religious granths’ and made specific reference to Bible, Gita, Quran and Guru Granth Sahib ji.

These two stances, using Darbar Sahib’s imagery with party’s election symbol and comparing a bunch of election promises with sacred texts and the living Guru of the Sikhs, raises serious question about the Aam Aadmi Party’s approach and it’s “sensitivities” towards religious beliefs and people of Punjab.

Using Darbar Sahib’s image over the election manifesto points towards utilitarian approach and attempts to use such a sacred symbol to secure electoral gains also raises questions about AAP’s ‘intentions’.

YesPunjab editor H S Bawa, in one of his editorials, has rightly pointed out that: “[n]either Akali Dal nor the Congress has ever used such imagery in their manifestos in the past”.

Ashish Khetan’s statement comparing an election document with sacred Granths is yet another major blunder.

Silence, expressed or implied accent of Punjab leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party on these issues, also put their character under question. Not even a single leader of the AAP has shown guts to ‘countered’ or ‘objected’ Ashish Khetan’s controversial statement.

No doubt that AAP is one of the front runners for Punjab state assembly elections 2017 but the leadership of AAP must not commit the mistake of taking Punjab as granted. Punjab has it’s own culture and sensitivities that need to respected not merely understood. However, the present instances show that AAP is not even attempting to understand these sensitivities.

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Related Topics: Aam Aadmi Party, AAP Youth Manifesto Punjab, Arvind Kejriwal, Ashish Khetan, Punjab Politics, Punjab Polls 2017, Sucha Singh Chhotepur

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