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Nagpur.
Satwinder Singh is a Sikh young man born and brought up in Nagpur. His family migrated to Nagpur back in 1964, but a large part of his father’s family still resides there.
Satwinder, who has been an AAP party member right from its inception says the writing on the wall is very clear.
“Even in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections we had garnered 24% of votes in Punjab which resulted in 4 AAP leaders going to Lok Sabha. Our popularity has only grown since then.”
According to AAP members who have been to Punjab recently and have been involved in the campaigning, there are 3 factors people there are fed up of – drugs, crime and land mafia.
The Present SAD (Badal) has indulged in all three, they allege.
People are crying out for change and only AAP can offer it as they see Congress as another avatar of the present government.
“They are two sides of the same coin. Drug menace is pretty old in our state – what did even Congress do to prevent it?” they ask.
Aam Admi Party began preparing for Punjab polls 7 – 8 months ago. Two party leaders, Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak have devoted themselves to the task, both in Punjab and Goa.
“We will put up a good show in Goa too” they are certain.
The NRI contingent
The AAP’s Punjab campaign has been helped a great deal by expat Punjabis settled in Canada, UK and elsewhere.
Between 2,500 to 10,000 had some and stationed themselves in their former home towns urging people to vote out the corrupt and give a chance to AAP.
“If conditions in Punjab hadn’t deteriorated so much why would we have to leave our homes and villages and settle abroad doing menial jobs?” they ask.
The AAP Punjab manifesto was made taking into confidence Punjabis from three strata – farmers, industrialists and students.
Punjab women have also supported AAP whole heartedly. “They were present in Delhi also before the Delhi assembly elections to canvass for AAP” NT is told.
The BJP tried using its dirty tricks department to engineer allegations of ‘crime against women’ by AAP Delhi MLAs to wean away the women voters, but they failed, says Satwinder.
The media also hasn’t supported them much, but our work in Delhi has been spread by word of mouth publicity.
Kejriwal has started many ‘Moholla clinics’ and worked on Education also.
“Almost 100 Principals of Delhi government schools have been sent to UK for training.”
Kejriwal has worked himself to make life of businessmen easier.
By the end of voting today, there were already signs that the Ruling Combine was pressing the panic button.
There were some insidious whisper campaigns advising voters ” if not SAD-BJP vote for Congress but don’t let these ‘upstarts’ win ” report AAP workers on the ground.
But if there is fair play we shall astound the nation more than Delhi results did, AAP claims.
Let us wait and see what the winds of March bring?
