Hitting-out at Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh for terming them "outsiders", founders of a pro-AAP NRI body today said they were not bothered about the rival leader's statement and were ready to go to jail for their party.
The body 'Chalo Punjab' also opposed Amarinder's complaint to the Election Commission against them for campaigning for AAP in the poll-bound state.
"We are not bothered what Amarinder says, even if we are jailed for supporting AAP," founders Joban Randhawa, Surinder Mavi and Jaskirat Mann said here.
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They claimed they had the constitutional right to campaign in the state.
AAP's Toronto youth convener Randhawa claimed more than 35,000 NRIs would be campaigning in Punjab to liberate the it from the "clutches of Congress and Badals".
The second batch of NRIs from UK would be arriving at Amritsar on January 24 and they would take out a road show the same day, Randhawa said.
"Amarinder is frustrated as NRIs have refused to support the Congress. He had visited USA and Canada to garner support but was not allowed enter the latter's cities, Toronto and Vancouver," he said.
He told Amarinder that they own land in Punjab and he has no right to brand them "outsiders".
"NRIs were good as long as they funded Congress and SAD but pronounced terrorists if supporting AAP," Randhawa alleged.
AAP's Canada convener Mavi said Amarinder was "scared" of NRIs and he lodged the complaint after NRIs didn't support him.
"The Congress leader has made a false claims in the media that 400 NRIs were coming to campaign for his party. If he can invite NRIs then what is the problem if we are supporting AAP," he said.
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Meanwhile, AAP campaign committee chairman Bhagwant Mann, who reached here to join the NRIs from Canada, warned Amarinder against "threatening" and using "absurd" language against them.
"Amarinder is facing stiff opposition from senior party leaders and rebels have been playing spoilsport for him," he said.
"He is issuing statements against NRIs out of utter frustration," Mann said, adding they (NRIs) are our own brothers and sisters.
Talking to reporters he said NRIs have played a major role in development of Punjab and in the past both Amarinder and (Punjab Deputy Chief Minister) Sukhbir Singh Badal had asked them to contribute to the state's development.
NRIs have found that their investment are not safe due to a corrupt system and "the land mafia run by the Badals had grabbed their properties", Mann alleged.
"Amarinder never raised his voice against the Badals when their cabinet ministers and henchmen grabbed properties of NRIs," he said, accusing Agriculture Minister Tota Singh of grabbing land of a NRI in Moga.
Mann claimed NRIs were going door-to-door and getting tremendous response.
