Sukhbir Singh Badal at Khatkar Kalan village Thursday. Express Sukhbir Singh Badal at Khatkar Kalan village Thursday. Express ALL SENIOR leaders of Aam Aadmi Party, who had been claiming to bring “inquilab” (political revolution) in Punjab to fulfil the dreams of the three martyrs in the run-up to the Punjab Assembly election, were conspicuous by their absence on the Martyrdom Day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev at Khatkar Kalan village, the native village of Bhagat Singh, in Nawanshahr district. Only local AAP leaders and candidates, who contested from Nawanshahr district, paid homage at the statute of the Bhagat Singh on Thursday morning. So, opposition parties have raised the issue of absenteeism of the AAP leaders from Delhi and state from the function. They are main opposition party now and why are its senior leaders missing from here, asked Satnam Singh Kainth, the Congress candidate from Banga. “Political conferences or rallies are mostly organised on Martyrdom Day (March 23) of the three martyrs but two years back, AAP was the only political party which even took out a rally on the birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Khatkar Kalan on September 27,” said an AAP leader of Nawanshahr, adding that state leaders of the party should have held a conference here on Thursday. “Even people of our area have been asking us why a stage was not put up by us,” said another AAP leader. Both Congress and SAD leaders, including former Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, in their speeches, asked where AAP had gone as the party had been claiming to be the biggest successors of the martyrs of the country and used to get emotional during their visits. “It was just for election purpose that they were using the names of the martyrs,” said Sukhbir, adding that they all are big liars and after their defeat, they have shown their true colours. AAP’s founder member from Nawanshahr, Shiv Kaura, though, claimed that all the local leaders and candidates had paid homage in the morning. Also, Harjot Singh Bains, president of Punjab AAP’s youth wing, had come, said Khera, adding, “Perhaps, our big leaders have gone to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur today.” Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, Himmat Singh Shergil and Sanjay Singh used to visit Khatkar Kalan quite frequently before the polls. Even Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia visited the martyr’s district before elections. AAP’s state convener Gurpreet SIngh Ghuggi was not available for comment. For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App now

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