Jalandhar Dalit leader leaves Akali Dal, joins AAP

Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) got a boost in the Doaba region as a Dalit leader of Jalandhar and former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislator Pawan Kumar Tinu joined it on Sunday.

He is likely to be fielded from the Jalandhar (reserved) Lok Sabha seat.

Tinu was elected MLA twice from the Adampur assembly constituency of Jalandhar on the Akali Dal ticket – in 2012 and 2017. He also contested the Lok Sabha elections from Jalandhar in 2014 but lost to Congress leader Santokh Chaudhary.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann formally inducted Tinu into the party and welcomed him to the AAP family. People who are serving Punjab or want to do that are continuously joining the Aam Aadmi Party and strengthening it, he said.

Along with Tinu, his party colleague and senior Akali leader Gurcharan Singh Channi also joined the AAP.

Tinu’s leaving the Akali Dal has given a big blow to it in Doaba ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

After joining the AAP, Tinu said he had joined it to save the country’s democracy and constitution.

“The Aam Aadmi Party is the only party in the country that is fighting to save the Constitution,” he said.

About his previous party, he said: “There is an atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity in the Akali leadership from top to bottom. There is insecurity among the workers. When there is uncertainty and distrust among the people of any party, they cannot win. Now the people of Punjab do not have faith in the Akali Dal.”