The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday claimed four ministers of the Congress government in Punjab led by Charanjit Singh Channi are in touch with them ahead of the early 2022 Assembly polls.

“All those leaders want to leave their Congress party and join the Aam Aadmi Party, but because of the sand mafia and corruption allegations on them, Aam Aadmi Party has refused them,” AAP leader and co-in-charge of Punjab Raghav Chadha said addressing a digital Press conference on Monday.

He said these four ministers of the Channi government are constantly approaching them to join AAP for the last few days. “Since these four leaders are facing serious allegations related to the sand mafia, we have decided not to include them in our party. AAP has no need for a ‘sand mafia’ disguised as a leader,” he added.

Chadha said AAP is an honest party. “We do politics for welfare and development of the people. There is no place for such corrupt and mafia people in AAP. We do not want such people who have sold even the soil of Punjab, which is called mother; was not spared by these corrupt leaders of Congress. Our party does not want such sand thieves and mafia leaders of Congress,” he added.

Confirming the claims made by Chadha, AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Aam Aadmi Party is going to form the government in Punjab after a few months. So many leaders from other parties are approaching to join the Aam Aadmi Party. We will not include any corrupt and criminal leader (to the party) under any circumstances. We will give a clean and honest government to Punjab.”

On the same issue, AAP Punjab state president Bhagwant Mann tweeted, “Congress government is about to go. Only one month is left. That’s why many of their big leaders are voraciously looting Punjab. We will not include any dishonest leader in our party.”

A few days back, AAP Supremo Kejriwal has also claimed that 25 MLAs and two MPs of Punjab Congress are approaching him to join the party. But he refused to include Congress leaders in the party, saying, “We don’t want Congress’s waste”. “We do not do manipulative politics. We do politics of development and public welfare,” he had said.