Ludhiana bypoll: AAP 'greatest threat' to Constitution, alleges Cong candidate Ashu

Ludhiana (Punjab), Jun 4 (PTI ) Congress candidate for the Ludhiana West bypoll, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Wednesday alleged that the "greatest threat" to the Constitution was from the parties like the AAP and its leaders who act as "dictators".

Ashu said that nobody can realise the value of constitutional rights better than him as he was saved by the Constitution after facing down the "dictatorship" of the ruling AAP in Punjab.

He was speaking at an event organized by the Congress as part of the party's nationwide campaign, 'Save Constitution'.

The Congress leader pointed out how he was victimized out of "sheer political vendetta" and sent to prison in a "false" case.

But, he said, the rights conferred by the Constitution helped him come out of jail.

"I have felt both ways as to what the abuse of power feels and what the constitutional right means," he said.

Ashu was booked in an alleged foodgrain transportation scam in 2022 by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the FIR in December 2024.

The Congress leader alleged that the AAP was the "greatest threat" to the Constitution of India.

He claimed that AAP's leaders act like "dictators" without any accountability and responsibility, asking how just one person was controlling everything in the party.

"So much so that people are being imported from other states and rehabilitated in Punjab at the cost of the interest of local AAP workers and nobody has the courage to challenge this dictatorship," he said.

However, thanks to the Constitution, "no matter which dictator assumes power whether (AAP chief) Arvind Kejriwal or (CM) Bhagwant Mann, he will eventually have to face the people's court and the people neither forget nor forgive", Ashu said.

He claimed that it was a matter of time when the AAP will be completely "wiped out" from Punjab.

"Today you only find their pictures on hoardings and soon even these pictures will be gone and they will be consigned to the dustbin of history," he said.

"You can fool some people sometimes...but you cannot fool all people all the time," he said about the AAP.

The bypoll to Ludhiana West assembly seat will take place on June 19 and the counting will be held on June 23.

The assembly seat fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. PTI COR CHS KVK KVK