Arvind Kejriwal meets Punjab MLAs amid talks of rift

New Delhi: Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday dismissed suggestions of dissent within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and said it will work towards making Punjab a model state.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal met the party's Punjab legislators (MLAs) at Kapurthala House to thank them for their efforts in the Delhi Assembly elections and exhort them to work in their respective constituencies.

The meeting comes in the backdrop of Congress' allegation that there is a rift within AAP and the party is on the verge of a split.


Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa recently claimed that more than 30 AAP MLAs were in touch with the Congress and could switch sides. Following the meeting, Mann dismissed Bajwa's claim, saying, "Let him say what he wants to. In their party there is a habit of hopping from one party to another. Not in ours. We have built our party from scratch, brick by brick. Our MLAs are a dedicated lot with no greed."

Mann said Punjab will be a model state of development ahead of the next Assembly polls in the state. "Win or loss is a part of life. We have worked a lot for the people. We will use the experience of Delhi to improve the quality of life of the people of Punjab," he said. "Already 850 mohalla clinics - we call them Aam Aadmi clinics in Punjab - are functional. Schools of excellence have also improved education standards in Punjab. We are working very hard."