(Image source from: AAP poster glorifies Bhindranwale – calls to celebrate birthday})

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders are seen in a poster carrying pictures of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and urging people to celebrate Bhindranwale’s birthday on February 9, has sparked off a controversy. The poster depicts the ideology AAP follows.

The poster has pictures of Kejriwal in a turban, Sanjay Singh, Chottepur, Bhagwant Mann and Prof Sadhu Singh, states AAP would celebrate Bhindranwale’s birth anniversary and urged party workers to head to the nearest gurdwara to celebrate the anniversary.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president, Capt Amarinder Singh said, “On the one hand, they (AAP) are invoking people for ‘revolution’, and on the other, they are asking people to celebrate Bhindranwale’s birth anniversary. There is a clear link between the two,” adding that such tactics were a threat to the country’s sovereignty and especially “dangerous for Punjab”. “The AAP seems to be going a step ahead of even Simranjit Singh Mann’s Khalistan agenda,” he added.

"Bhagat Singh wanted freedom from British, who does AAP want freedom from. Inquilab is a revolutionary word given by Bhagat Singh. He gave his life for nation's sake and now when our country is one, they (AAP) want to break it again by resorting to disruptive and destabilising tactics," the former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said.

Capt Amarinder Singh accused AAP of “engaging in disruptive and destabilising tactics for short term political gains that could create anarchy”. He asked AAP to come clean on the posters and make its stand on the issue clear. He also took on AAP over its slogan on invoking Inquilab. Amarinder said there was no need for any kind of revolution as India is a free country and nobody needed to fight for freedom.

Punjab BJP chief Kamal Sharma has sought a clarification from Kejriwal on the “Bhindranwale ideology” issue. Kamal Sharma said AAP was pursuing a “fanatic agenda” and urging the people to celebrate the birth anniversary of Bhindranwale tantamount to anti-national activity. He said the poster was an attempt to destablise Punjab.

AAP has distanced itself from the controversy, calling it a “cheap politics being played by the opposition”.

By Premji