Latest news with #KunwarVijayPartapSingh
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
How sacrilege cases, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh induction fuelled AAP rise in Punjab
Jalandhar: Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, who has been shown the door by the AAP, played a crucial role in destabilising Capt Amarinder Singh's govt in 2021 over the 2015 sacrilege and police firing cases. The Aam Aadmi Party, which hit rock bottom in the 2019 parliamentary election, used the issue by inducting him into the party, marking the first step in their comeback. After becoming the main opposition by winning 20 seats in the 2017 assembly election, AAP did away with most of its prominent faces by 2018. A split also occurred in the party when Sukhpal Singh Khaira parted ways after his removal from the post of the leader of opposition, with a few MLAs joining his camp. In the 2019 parliamentary election, AAP's vote share dropped to 7.38%, with only Bhagwant Mann winning from Sangrur, while the party lost security deposits at most other seats. In comparison, the Khaira-led Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA) and BSP alliance secured a 10.77% vote share. In the four assembly byelections in Oct 2019, its vote share was just 5 %. The turning point for AAP came in April 2021 when the Punjab and Haryana high court quashed the probe by IG Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh's Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Kotkapura police firing case. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Although he was supposed to investigate only the Kotkapura firing case, he also looked into the sacrilege part and commented extensively about it in his media interviews. The quashing of his investigation and his statements triggered significant trouble within Congress. Though the high court tore into his investigation, he further embarrassed Capt Amarinder Singh's govt by resigning and raising questions about his govt, especially concerning the advocate general's office in the case. Navjot Singh Sidhu played on the front foot to question Amarinder for failing to deliver justice in the case, and other prominent Congress leaders, including ministers, also joined in. However, Kunwar also revealed in an interview with a Punjabi YouTube channel that Amarinder's office told him to go by the merits of the case. Amid this turmoil within Congress and political fluidity in the state, AAP managed to capitalise on the sacrilege and police firing issues by bringing Kunwar into the party. His induction was high-profile, with hoardings of his joining put up across the city. AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal promised swift justice in the case once his party came to power. In the 2014 parliamentary election, AAP played the Sikh card by bringing in prominent faces associated with activism on the cataclysmic events of 1984. In 2021, it focused on the sacrilege and police firing cases. As the farm movement further increased political fluidity, AAP smartly capitalised on other issues as well, acting like a cohesive election machine. Its promises, such as free 300 units of power and Rs 1,000 per month to all women, along with the sentiment of change and a qualitative shift in politics on the ground, became game changers. At the same time, Congress's campaign was anything but imaginative and cohesive as its high command also refused to read. Now, with Kunwar Vijay out, the sacrilege and police firing cases are reportedly moving at a slow pace, drawing complaints from victims. Kunwar Vijay himself had been critical of the current AAP govt's handling of these cases. However, at present, these issues are not generating significant political heat, which also points to the broader role of the opposition. MSID:: 122163100 413 |
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
AAP suspends Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh from party for 5 years
AMRITSAR: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) reportedly suspended Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, the MLA from the Amritsar North Assembly constituency, for five years for alleged anti-party activities. The decision to suspend Kunwar was made by the party's Political Affairs Committee, reportedly in response to his alleged opposition to the arrest of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a case related to the accumulation of disproportionate assets. Kunwar, the former IPS officer who joined politics, was not inducted into the Cabinet since the formation of the govt by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and previously also expressed dissent against the party on a couple of occasions. Following his suspension, he uploaded a verse of Gurbani on his X account: "ਕਬੀਰ ਜਿਸੁ ਮਰਨੇ ਤੇ ਜਗੁ ਡਰੇ ਮੇਰੇ ਮਨਿ ਆਨੰਦ." (Kabir, from death everyone in the world is afraid; but to me, my mind feels bliss). Following the news of his suspension, a large number of Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh's followers and sympathisers gathered at his residence, said Pawan Kumar , a close aide, adding that the party's decision was unjust and excessively harsh. During the 2022 Assembly elections, Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh secured 58,133 votes, defeating SAD candidate Anil Joshi, BJP's Sukhminder Singh Pintu, Congress party's Sunil Dutta, and others. Former Inspector General of Police Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh once headed the Special Investigative Team (SIT) probing Bargari and other sacrilege incidents in Punjab. Sources informed that if Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh is not reinstated and allowed to continue working in the Amritsar North constituency, several other aspirants are prepared to step in. A few leaders have already already approached senior party leaders on Sunday, expressing their interest in replacing him. Sources infomred that at least two prominent figures—one from within AAP—are said to be eyeing the Amritsar North seat for the upcoming Assembly elections. There are also rumours that a current opposition leader may join the party and be positioned as Kunwar's replacement.
