Ludhiana West bypoll: Congress candidate Ashu says Aam Aadmi Party poses greatest threat to Constitution, cites personal ordeal.
Ludhiana: Punjab Congress working president and Ludhiana West bypoll candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Wednesday accused the
Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) of posing a serious threat to India's constitutional values, likening its leadership style to authoritarianism.
Speaking at a local event under the Congress's nationwide 'Save Constitution' campaign, Ashu invoked his personal legal troubles to frame the AAP as a dictatorial force. He said it was the Constitution that protected him from political vendetta, alleging that the AAP had falsely implicated him in a criminal case. "I know firsthand how it feels to be the target of an abuse of power," Ashu told the gathering. "But I also know the power of constitutional rights — they saved me.
"
Addressing reporters later, Ashu intensified his criticism, claiming AAP leaders operate without accountability and centralise control in the hands of one person — a veiled reference to AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal. He alleged that the party was sidelining local leaders in favour of outsiders brought in from other states, calling it a form of internal dictatorship. "No one dares question this system within AAP," Ashu said.
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"This model undermines both democratic functioning and regional representation."
He credited India's constitutional architects — Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar, and Jawaharlal Nehru — for creating a system where "even dictators like Kejriwal or Bhagwant Mann must eventually answer to the people." He predicted AAP's downfall in Punjab, calling it "inevitable." "Their posters are up today, but soon even those will disappear," Ashu said. "You can't fool all the people all the time."
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