Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, who came under fire after the BJP handed out a massive defeat to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, is scheduled to meet Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan, Ministers, and legislators for a meeting in the national capital on Tuesday.
The meeting comes in the wake of AAP's rout in the Delhi Assembly elections and growing speculation about internal dissent in the party's Punjab unit.
Meanwhile, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stepping out for a two-day sojourn at the picturesque Chohal Forest Rest House on Sunday, the government canceled its Cabinet meeting slated for Monday.
The meeting that was scheduled to be held after five months due to the busy campaign schedules of the AAP first in various state elections and then in Delhi will now be convened on Thursday.
He said that the news of dissidence was false and marked Tuesday's meeting a "routine strategy session".
"A party is a continuous process. Feedback from all units are taken to shape its future strategies. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann along with AAP MLAs will meet Arvind Kejriwal to discuss the way forward," he said.
Party sources say the talks will concentrate on analysis of Delhi poll outcomes and strategies for Punjab polls in 2027.
AAP had been ruling in Delhi for a decade and was mauled in the February 5 polls, that came back with only 22 seats in a House of 70.
The BJP with 48 seats put an end to AAP's rule in the Capital and gave a ringing signal that it might be at the receiving end everywhere.
According to sources, Kejriwal had scheduled the meeting with the leaders of Punjab because party circles are abuzz that some of its MLAs from the state are in touch with other parties, which suggests poaching by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
It is not for the first time that the ruling party in Punjab has leveled allegations about 'Operation Lotus' by the BJP in the state.
However, AAP Punjab President Aman Arora said there was nothing to read in Tuesday's meeting.
"It is a general meeting. The party chief will be addressing all of us after the Delhi elections. Otherwise, we have no fear of anyone. We are united. Such meetings have been held in the past also. There is nothing new. Since Kejriwal has not addressed us for a long time now, we will be going to meet him," said Arora.
The AAP, sources pointed out, referred to Tuesday's as a "general meeting after the Delhi defeat".
"The AAP is now focusing on Punjab after what the BJP did in Delhi to win the Assembly elections. We now want to keep the flock together. Party chief's pep talk always helps as defeat leaves leaders demotivated. We also want that BJP does not target the MLAs now. They have been trying everything in the past. Raids of the Enforcement Directorate have been there on some MLAs. Pressure has always been there. But we have always managed to keep our MLAs with us, said the source.
As sources mention, senior leadership is being firmly advised that the AAP must once again live in its "Aam Aadmi" way of life because they had drifted from it at the first place.
"Kejriwal's lavish makeover of his official residence has actually hit us. People wanted us to be a common man. They chose us for this reason. However, we deviated from our ideology. Now many leaders want us to return to the same old idea of politics for the common man. We will try to raise this in the meeting tomorrow," said a leader on anonymity.
There are also speculations that Kejriwal might think of a more direct role in Punjab politics now.
Punjab being the only state where the AAP is in power now, the outcome of Tuesday's meeting could be crucial for the party's future direction and stability.
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