Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Chandigarh: With the AAP MLA H.S. Phoolka deciding to quit as a Leader of Opposition( LoP), who will fill the slot vacated by him? A debate on this issue has already started in the political circles especially within the rank and file of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Obviously, the AAP high command will not be in a tearing hurry to fill the slot because the next Session of the State Assembly, which met for a Budget session few weeks ago, is not expected to be held before November. However, as LoP is a member of certain committees set up at the Government level to pick-up heads of certain public institutions such as Lokpal, the AAP would have to take the decision in this regard in days to come.
The AAP insiders say that the Delhi lobby, which was lying low for a while, has again become active. The Delhi lobby had played a crucial role in selecting candidate for the Vidhan Sabha elections held early this year. But it was blamed for party’s failure to perform on the expected lines. In spite of the groundswell of support in the run up to the elections, the party did well only in a particular belt of Malwa region and failed to perform in Majha and Doaba regions of the state. The wrong choice of candidates for some constituencies was attributed to Delhi leaders who were camping in Punjab.
As of now, names of three AAP MLAs- Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Kanwar Sandhu and Aman Arora- are in the circulation for holding the office of the LoP. Khaira is known for his tough stance against the Badals besides the Congress. He has been frequently attacking the Badals and also the Congress leadership. But he belongs to breed of independent minded politicians who rarely follow the party diktat and go by their own convictions. Such politicians are not preferred by the party bosses especially in the parties dominated by personality cult such as the AAP.
Kanwar Sandhu is other important face of the AAP. A seasoned journalist, he is new to the politics, a field that is immensely different from the profession of journalism. A believer in well argued and well sustained political attack on opponents, Sandhu does not yield ground easily and conveys his views without mincing words. He has a clout in the party high command. Other leader is Aman Arora. He belongs to a political family and has some political experience at his command. He is also close to Bhagwant Mann and both have been working in tandem to build a fresh structure of the party.
Besides these three names, Nazar Singh Manshahia, the AAP MLA from Mansa, is the other party leader who can be in the race for the office of the LoP. Though he has little political experience at his command but, being a former Superintending Engineer, he knows how to handle ticklish issue. He believes in giving free and frank opinion and also good manager of events.
When last time Phoolka was made LoP, then party convenor Arvind Kejriwal had sought the opinion turn by turn of all party MLAs, who were called for a meeting at Delhi in this regard. Party insiders say that same procedure would be adopted this time. Obviously, Bhagwant Mann, President of the Punjab unit of the party, would also play a crucial role in this decision.