Denied permission to visit Kartarpur, say AAP MLAs

Chandigarh The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday said that a party delegation led by Punjab unit chief Bhagwant Mann and state affairs co-incharge Raghav Chadha has been denied permission to visit Kartarpur on November 19 (Friday) to pay obeisance at the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

Chadha, who is also the AAP’s national spokesperson, said the party delegation has been denied permission to visit Kartarpur Sahib by the Modi-Channi duo. “It is clear that as per a tactical understanding between PM Modi and CM Channi, only Channi and his men are permitted to visit. The match-fixing between Modi and Channi has surfaced yet again,” Chadha tweeted with a copy of the letter sent by a joint secretary of the Union ministry of external affairs (MEA) to the general administration department on Wednesday.

NOT EVEN AN ENEMY SHOULD

BE STOPPED, TWEETS KEJRIWAL

AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted that it was wrong to prevent anyone from paying obeisance at a gurdwara on Gurpurb. “Such politics is not good for the country and society. Not even an enemy should be stopped,” he posted.

The Punjab government had asked for political clearance for the visit of a delegation led by chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday. However, the Centre, while granting political clearance to 44 persons, divided the CM, ministers, Congress MLAs and officers into three separate groups for the visit to be undertaken from November 18-20. A senior officer said that political clearance was received for those who were to be part of the chief minister’s delegation.

AAP MLA and leader of opposition (LOP) Harpal Singh Cheema said party MLAs were planning to visit Kartarpur on Friday but were informed by the state government that it had not received clearance for their visit.

“We have been asked to apply under regular system. We all (Mann and party MLAs) will go to Dera Baba Nanak on Friday and pay obeisance from there,” the LOP said, pointing out that they had sent their papers to the state government on Wednesday and Thursday morning. Mann had, on Wednesday, announced their plans to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib on the occasion of Guru Nanak Dev’s Parkash Utsav to offer prayers for the progress, prosperity and happiness of Punjab.

Punjab cabinet minister Raj Kumar Verka accused the AAP of indulging in cheap talk and politics. “It is everyone’s right to travel to Kartarpur to offer prayers. If the Centre has denied them (AAP MLAs) permission, it is wrong,” he said.