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Congress candidate for the Ludhiana West assembly bypoll in Punjab, Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Monday took a dig at AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, alleging he treats Punjabi leaders and workers as “second class citizens”.

Addressing a series of campaign meetings in the constituency, Ashu said his fight is against Kejriwal and for the redemption of the “honour and dignity of Punjab, Punjabis, and Punjabiyat”.

Calling the bypoll a fight of the people of Punjab versus the outsiders, Ashu declared Kejriwal the “biggest outsider eyeing the Rajya Sabha seat from Punjab”.

Ashu said former Congress members who had switched sides to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are now upset over their “sorry plight in the party”. It is they, claims Ashu, who complained to him about being treated as “second-class citizens”, irrespective of rank or position in the party or government in Punjab.

Alleging that all matters are handled by the AAP supremo in Delhi, Ashu claimed it is public knowledge that “everything has been handed over to Delhi-based leaders” with around four dozen people from Delhi “running in the show”, particularly the Chief Minister’s office in Chandigarh.

Saying Punjabis are self-respecting people who would never tolerate any disrespect to their dignity and honour, Ashu said one of the main reasons that he was getting support from people was because the AAP had treated Punjab like an “occupied territory”.

Scoffing at the suggestion that AAP candidate from Ludhiana, Sanjeev Arora, has been promised to be made a minister if he won, the senior Congress leader said there was no question of Arora’s victory.

Ashu said any AAP member who was a ministerial aspirant would be well advised to cross-check if any existing ministers have any influence in the government. 

The Congress leader said the most recent appointment of an officer on special duty to the health minister was also made from Delhi. 

The bypoll to Ludhiana West assembly seat in Punjab will take place on June 19 and the counting will be held on June 23. The seat fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January.