Vivek Gupta 
Chandigarh: Amid opposition claims that the only Aam Aadmi Party government left – in Punjab – is heading for disintegration after the party’s poll debacle in Delhi elections, party national convener Arvind Kejriwal summoned all 92 party MLAs in the state, including ministers, for a meeting at the national capital on February 11.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann will also be present in the meeting to be held at Kapurthala House, which is the official residence of Punjab CM in Delhi.
AAP’s Punjab spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said in his media statement that it was an organisational meeting which had been called to take the feedback of party leaders on the Delhi polls, in order to prepare a future strategy. But many believe that there is more than meets the eye. Chandigarh-based political analyst Harjeshwar Singh told The Wire that more than a feedback session, it appears to be Kejriwal’s attempt to reassert his position in the party, especially after losing the Delhi assembly elections.
Singh added that in addition to it, Kejriwal would also want to keep his control intact over party affairs in Punjab, especially at a time when opposition parties would be ready to take advantage of AAP’s weakened status.
Loyalty factor
There are also talks the relationship between Kejriwal and Mann souring, especially after Kejriwal ousted all of Mann’s close aides from the chief minister’s office in Punjab after the Lok Sabha elections and appointed his own men.
According to Singh, more than AAP’s loss in the Delhi polls, it is Kejriwal’s defeat from his New Delhi constituency that has brought down the morale of the party. Kejriwal, through his meeting with Punjab MLAs, will be keen to make sure that his flock remains together.
Ashutosh Kumar, another political science professor at Panjab University in Chandigarh, told The Wire that Tuesday’s meeting is important in a sense that it will check the loyalty factor – as to how many MLAs are still standing behind the central leadership of the party after the Delhi poll defeat.
This meeting may also be a damage control exercise in a way that Kejriwal is making an attempt to pre-empt any political issue that may creep up in future, he adds.
Opposition adds fuel to fire
Opposition, on the other hand, has a different take as to why Kejriwal was swift in meeting Punjab MLAs three days after Delhi polls.
Bharatiya Janata Party Delhi leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa claimed on X on Monday, February 10, that Kejriwal was trying to remove Mann from the CM’s post by branding him as incompetent.
“After losing the Delhi elections, Arvind Kejriwal has called a meeting of Punjab MLAs in Delhi. Reports suggest that he is trying to remove @BhagwantMann Ji from the CM post by branding him as incompetent. He failed to fulfill his promise of giving ₹1000 to women, was unsuccessful in curbing drug abuse and has worsened Punjab’s situation. Now, he wants to put all failure on Bhagwant Mann. He is making AAP Punjab MLAs say that Kejriwal is a ‘good man’ and should be made Chief Minister instead!”
He also urged Mann to remain vigilant. “We don’t want a man who ruined Delhi to further destroy the state of Punjab. No Punjabi will ever tolerate him. Kejriwal ji forgot this dream,” he said.
On the other hand, senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Randhawa claimed that Punjab was heading for mid-term election as a number of AAP MLAs were ready to leave the party due to Delhi’s dictatorial control and lack of performance of Bhagwant Mann.
He also wrote on X that the governance in Punjab continues to suffer. There has been no cabinet meeting in Punjab for four months and the cabinet meeting has been cancelled twice in the past one week.
“If this continues, Kejriwal will be directly responsible for the failure of the Bhagwant Mann government,” he added.
Political analyst Ashutosh Kumar however does not see possibility of mid-term polls due to the simple reason that AAP enjoys a brute majority in Punjab – 92 out of 117 MLAs, which is 33 more than half way mark.
“The opposition may be trying to destablise AAP through their various claims but it is not easy to bring down a party with such a huge strength, ” he added.