These political parties are afraid of the Arvind Kejriwal model of governance, honesty and clean politics: Raghav Chadha

NEW DELHI: It is a well known fact that the Aam Aadmi Party has emerged as the number one contender in the upcoming Punjab elections. This has caused panic amongst its rivals making them take the crooked route to this battle. AAP Punjab Co-Incharge and MLA Shri Raghav Chadha informed that a new political party is being registered by making special exceptions to hamper the vote-share of Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab elections. Shri Chadha further stated — The Election Commission issued a circular on January 14, reducing the objection period for registering a political party from 30 days to 7 days. Never has a political party been registered during the middle of the elections after the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct. Akali Dal, Congress, BJP and Captain Amarinder Singh tried their best to disrupt the progress of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab but failed miserably. After realising that AAP’s progress is undeterred, all these parties came together to hatch a huge conspiracy against us. These political parties are afraid of the Arvind Kejriwal model of governance, honesty and clean politics; these people are cowards who don’t want the Aam Aadmi Party to form government in any state of the country including Punjab. Whose vote does the Election Commission and BJP want to cut but registering a new political party right before the polls?

Shri Raghav Chadha said, “AAP had recently exposed how the Election Commission was preparing to amend its rules to facilitate the formation of a special party. Despite the imposition of the Model Code of Conduct, this political party is forcefully being registered during the middle of the polls. We cautioned everyone that they’re going a step ahead to change their defined set of laws that say that a party must give a thirty day notice period prior to the registration. The EC, out of its sheer admiration of a specific group, is set to change it to seven days. The period in which people can send in their objections with regards to formation of the said party will now merely be a week long.”

He added, “A circular issued by the Election Commission on the 14th of January confirms all the cautions raised by AAP. The circular in clear words states that it has made a special exception to get a particular group registered as a Political Party by reducing the ‘Public Notice Period’ from 30days to 7days. The reason cited behind this blunder is the pandemic. The EC argues that the group’s facing problems in the registration process because of Corona. Thus it is doing this special favour for them. It feels like the EC is doing so to register a special group of people so they can jump into the poll frays during the last few days. They’re giving the group a special treatment by putting all laws at stake, amending all the rules and regulations for their sake.”

He continued, “The biggest question that comes out of this is whose vote-share does the EC want to hamper by making these provisions? Which party will benefit from all this? Who are these politicians who want to watch the Aam Aadmi Party lose at any cost by using any means? We know well enough that a new group is never registered as a political party mid election season, i.e. after official announcement. We also know that no exception for reducing the notice period has been made. The Aam Aadmi Party wasn’t formed too long ago – we remember how tedious the process was for our registration some 7-8 years ago when we went to register our party. We waited through the 30 day objection or notice period, just like all other political parties. There was no special relief for us. But this time, under what appears to be a highly elaborate conspiracy to steal Aam Aadmi Party’s share of votes, the norms have been altered and rules have been bent in order to register a new political party. These are our reservations and fears regarding the status of our democracy and we are hence raising this matter in public.”

He further added, “The people in a democracy have the right to know that the Election Commission, brushing all the existing laws aside and reducing the notice period, is giving legitimacy to a new political party overnight to cut down on Aam Aadmi Party’s votes. It appears that the Election Commission has left all its actual duties and is now dedicated to registering this new political party. The Aam Aadmi Party wishes to respectfully inform the people of Punjab and the people of this country of these strange occurrences in our democracy. And the opposition, which is deeply afraid of Shri Arvind Kejriwal’s clean and transparent politics, his honesty, and the ones who are envious of the Kejriwal Model of Development and are shaken to their core after observing the done by the Kejriwal Government – these people will never want to see the Aam Aadmi Party succeed in Punjab or any other state. Hence these people and political parties will do everything in their power to add obstacles in AAP’s path to progress. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) first attempted this but it failed to stop the Aam Aadmi Party. Then the Congress came forward and did not succeed. Next, the BJP and Captain Amarinder Singh tried to come together to stop the Aam Aadmi Party, which also failed. So the entire lot is now coming together to conspire against the Aam Aadmi Party, in order to disrupt its progress.”

Shri Raghav Chadha concluded, “Today, the Aam Aadmi Party directly questions the Election Commission that which is this party or the group of political leaders – for whom you are extending such special treatment, that you are amending long standing laws, giving concessions and facilitating the registration for? Second, which existing party stands to face the biggest loss as a result of the registration of this new political party? Third, which existing party will benefit from the establishment of this new political group? Fourth, why was it so necessary that there was a need for all laws to be brushed aside and amended in favour of this political party? Fifth, should we not ask who are the participants and masterminds behind this conspiracy – the people who are hell bent on trying to stop the political progress of the Aam Aadmi Party? I demand a proper explanation from both the Election Commission of India as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party. The suspicions and fears that the Aam Aadmi Party had earlier voiced has now turned into reality. This circular issued by the Election Commission is proof that the ‘Public Notice Period’ has been reduced from 30 days to a mere 7 days in favour of the formation of this new political group.”