AAP adopting religious agenda for political gains: Dharamvira Gandhi

PATIALA: Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi, who was suspended by AAP, today said the party was turning out to be no different than any other political outfit as it was "adopting a religious agenda for political gains".

Stating this here, Gandhi claimed that AAP had earlier promised not to do politics in the name of religion.

"Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal has himself visited Niramkari Bhawan, Dera Sachkhand Ballan, Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale's Parmeshar Dwar, Balmiki Deras in Jalandhar and now, his party's attempt to cash in on Sikh sentiments by printing the image of Golden Temple on its youth manifesto cover has backfired," he said.

Gandhi lamented AAP's gradual "deviation" from all of its professed principles such as swaraj, transparency, accountability, intra-party democracy and intolerance to the high-command culture.

He alleged that several central leaders of the party intruded into Punjab by ignoring state leaders. "If Punjab leaders were given a free hand, the goof-up like the one in the case of the youth manifesto would not have happened," he claimed.

Gandhi, who won the Lok Sabha elections from Patiala on an AAP ticket in 2014, was suspended along with Fatehgarh Sahib MP Harinder Singh Khalsa for "anti-party" activities last year.