Senior AAP leader H.S. Phoolka on Monday accused Navjot Singh Sidhu of betraying the people of Punjab by joining the very Congress he used to flay for corruption and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
"Sidhu earlier said the Congress is 'corruption ki jamaat' (community of corrupt) and 'katilon ki jamaat' (community of murderers). Now he is joining the same party," Phoolka told the media.
"We want to know if corruption has come down in the Congress?" the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said.
Sidhu was formally inducted into the Congress on Sunday. He is expected to contest the February 4 Punjab assembly election from Amritsar East.
This is part of the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency which he represented for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from 2004 to 2014.
Phoolka, the AAP candidate from Dakha constituency in Ludhiana, also reminded Sidhu not to forget his demand to bring to justice the killers of Sikhs in 1984.
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"Sidhu has been raising such demands when he was not in the Congress. He should reiterate his demand for punishment for Jagdish Tytler, Kamal Nath and Sajjan Singh for the anti-Sikh riots," he said.
Phoolka also slammed the Congress for bringing a leader from outside to lead its campaign.
"It seems the Congress has accepted that they do not have any local leader. That is why it is bringing an outsider and placing him at the top of its leadership," he said.
However, Phoolka insisted that Sidhu won't pose a challenge for the AAP in Punjab.
--IANS
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