The Shiromani Akali Dal on Saturday asked the Election Commission of India to investigate the rampant violation of electoral laws by the Aam Aadmi Party following startling revelations that the party was amassing crores of rupees to distribute its party tickets for the 2017 Assembly elections in Punjab.
In a statement here, all SAD MPs of Punjab including Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Balwinder Singh Bhundur, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Naresh Gujral, Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, and Sher Singh Ghubaiya urged the EC to verify the disclosures made by former AAP convenor Suchha Singh Chhottepur against his own party and to initiate proceedings to disqualify AAP from national politics.
“The alleged party of change has turned out to be a money collection machine which is milking gullible Punjabis by promising tickets to them. This has vitiated electoral politics in Punjab,” the MPs said.
They also said that Mr Chhottepur, who was the state convenor of AAP in Punjab, had said on Friday that every party ticket was being sold by AAP.
The MPs said that the latter had revealed the tickets were being sold for amounts between '1 and '2 crore per seat. “It is in fact when Chhottepur raised his voice against auctioning off party tickets to corrupt officials, criminals, and moneybags that the Delhi-based high command of AAP started plotting his ouster from the party,” they added.
The SAD MPs also announced that they would file a formal complaint against AAP with the ECI to ensure that firm action is being taken against the party. “We want the ECI to take immediate action against AAP so that a message is sent across to all political parties that criminalisation of politics by such underhand means will not be tolerated at any cost.”
The MPs said that the ECI should call for and record the statements of Mr Chhottepur along with former official Hardeep Kingra, singer Jassi Jasraj, and Pavittar Singh (NRI), who had made disclosures of money being collected by the Delhi team of AAP in lieu of Assembly election tickets.
