The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) reacted to the failure of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) membership campaign in Punjab. Party's senior spokesperson Neel Garg said that the people of Punjab have rejected BJP's politics of hatred and division.
Neel Garg stated that the BJP had aimed to enroll 3 million members, but it could not even achieve 10% of its target. The main reason for this, he said, is that the people of Punjab understand the true character of the BJP.
The trust of the people in BJP has completely eroded. Even BJP’s Punjab president Sunil Jakhar is unhappy with the party's activities, leaving BJP 'pradhanless' in the state. Garg further added that BJP is not only harassing farmers in Punjab but has also started troubling the business community.
During the recent paddy procurement season, arhtiyas (commission agents) and rice mill owners were deliberately harassed. As a result, the BJP's vote share has significantly declined even in urban areas.
He said that urban voters, who were once considered strong supporters of BJP, have now drifted away from the party. In the recent by-elections, BJP received only 5% of the votes in the urban area of Giddarbaha and just 4% in Dera Baba Nanak.
In Barnala, its candidate managed to secure some votes due to his personal image. However, the by-elections clearly showed that BJP no longer has any public support in Punjab. He predicted that the BJP is going to face severe setbacks in the upcoming municipal elections as well.
The central BJP government has withheld thousands of crores of rupees of Punjab’s funds, which has disrupted development work in villages and cities. People are suffering, but the central government is not listening.
Thus, the failure of the BJP’s membership campaign was inevitable. This is no surprise. Neel Garg concluded by saying that BJP should seriously consider the suggestions of its Punjab president Sunil Jakhar and immediately change its attitude toward Punjab. If it continues with its current approach, BJP’s condition in Punjab will worsen even further.