AAP here to stay, will fight for state: Ghuggi

Chandigarh : State AAP convener Gurpreet Ghuggi said here today that his party was in Punjab to live and die for the state. “We will stand by Punjab, Punjabis and Punjabiat, unlike Parkash Singh Badal, who makes Chandigarh, river waters and other emotive issues his bread and butter during the elections,” Ghuggi said while talking to The Tribune.
He said, “We will protect Punjab’s right over its river waters and fight hard to get back Chandigarh and Punjabi-speaking areas.” The comedian-turned-politician took on the Akalis and the Congress, while asserting that AAP doors were still open for former BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu.
He stated that if needed, he would go to Sidhu and Pargat Singh with folded hands to request them to join AAP. “I hope they will not hamper the momentum built over the past few months against the SAD-BJP government,” said Ghuggi. On the removal of Sucha Singh Chhotepur, he said the former state convener should join the investigation and prove himself innocent.
Claiming that AAP was fully prepared to counter the “Punjabi versus non-Punjabi” allegation, Ghuggi said, “This is propaganda by our opponents, especially the Akalis and the Congress. Does Sonia Gandhi belong to Bhucho Mandi? The Akalis are paying salary from the state treasury to Delhi leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa.” Ghuggi said beleaguered party MP Bhagwant Mann had got a raw deal in the past few days. “He has been interacting with the media for 30 years but such an incident never happened before. We will resolve the issue soon,” he added. Refuting reports that he is a follower of the Nirankari sect, he said, “I bow only before Guru Granth Sahib. I am not a follower of any sect.” On a video showing him at a Nirankari function, he clarified, “It was the bhog of my friend, actor Vivek Shauq. Can’t I attend such functions?” Born in a family of soldiers, Ghuggi was only three months old when his father fought in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. He proudly says that his grandfather also saw action on the border. His own fighting skills will be put to the test over the next few frantic months.