JALANDHAR/BATHINDA: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday scaled down its opposition to joining hands with the Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA), with Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann saying that “all possibilities of an alliance were being explored”.The statement came a day after Mann had rejected Akali Dal (Taksali) president Ranjit Singh Brahmpura’s offer of an alliance because PDA included the Sukhpal Singh Khaira-led Punjabi Ekta Party (PEP) and MLA brothers Simrajit Bains and Balwinder Bains of the Lok Insaf Party. The AAP leader, according to Brahmpura, even phoned him in the morning and told him to “wait for some time”.Pressure from the Akali Dal (Taksali) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which is also a part of PDA, is said to have brought about the change in AAP’s stance. In an apparent afterthought, Mann said in a statement on Wednesday that his party had no issues in joining hands with any political outfit to oust the SAD-BJP tie-up and the ruling Congress government in Punjab. “The alliance can put up a bold, united face on issues and concerns surrounding Punjab and Punjabis, thereby showing the door to these traditional political parties which are knee-deep in corruption,” he said.BSP state president Rashpal Singh Raju told TOI that his outfit had made it clear to AAP that the grand alliance in Punjab would have to include all sides, including Akali Dal (Taksali), PEP, LIP and suspended AAP MP Dharamvira Gandhi. He said the BSP had prevailed uponKhaira and Simarjit, during their meeting in Ludhiana on Tuesday, to be open to the idea of AAP joining the alliance, but AAP turned down the offer. “We conveyed the message of all parties joining hands to them on Tuesday evening itself,” he said. “We want results, so that Congress and the SAD-BJP alliance can be defeated. It can be a winning alliance if all forces join hands,” Raju added.Brahmpura, who was in Bathinda on Wednesday, said Mann’s phone call in the morning had brought about some hope of the grand alliance materialising for the “larger interest of Punjab”.Even as Mann asked PDA to hold on, SAD (Taksali) got support from the former jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, Balwant Singh Nandgarh . Nandgarh announced “full support” for the party, but he did not join it. He, however, gave a clarion call to all parties to join hands with SAD (Taksali) to defeat the SAD-BJP alliance and the Congress. “I am a preacher, so I am not joining any party. However, I will support it for the sake of defeating the Congress and the SAD. The Badal-led party has denigrated Sikh maryada and it needs to be taught a lesson,” he said.

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