AAP stages walkout over ‘halqa in charge’ system run by ‘defeated’ candidates

Chandigarh, February 25

            Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) MLAs on Monday staged a walkout from the Assembly on the issue of the blatant interference by government-appointed ‘halqa in charges’ performing official duties of an elected candidate, saying it was a tantamount to undermining the authority of the elected candidate.

            Leader of Opposition, Harpal Singh Cheema said on the occasion that some blue-eyed ‘defeated’ candidates of the Congress Party were running the show posing hurdles for the elected candidates in performing their official duties.

            Accusing the ‘defeated’ candidate of the Congress Party Daman Bajwa Thind from Sangrur of acting as an elected member of the Assembly and splurging government funds in villages to woo voters ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Sunam Aman Arora of the AAP said that even in the government notifications issued under the signatures of deputy commissioner level officers, they were allowed to act as per their will, stating the elected candidates were ignored at government-sponsored functions.

            Accusing Captain Amarinder Singh of lying on the floor of the House on the promise of making sure that MLA funds worth 5 crore would be routed through the elected Members of Legislative Assembly instead of through deputy commissioners. These funds, Arora alleged, were being allegedly utilized through these pseudo ‘Halqa in charges’ and splurged on the public with an eye on the elections.

            Ropar MLA Amar Singh Sandoa said that in his constituency an acolyte of Captain Amarinder Singh was posing hurdles in performing his official duties of an elected representative.  He said Congress Party had surpassed the erstwhile BJP-SAD government in the state in appointing such ‘halqa in charges’ to run the show surreptitiously. AAP MLA Jagdev Singh Kamalu said that in his constituency, Congress Party’s defeated candidate Jaswinder Singh Jassi was calling the shots at the behest of Captain Amarinder.

            AAP MLAs demanded that captain Amrinder Singh must take steps to stop this ‘halqa in charge’ system immediately so that the elected members could perform their official duties with dignity.