Akali leader Manjeet Dasuya joins AAP

After much speculations, Manjeet Singh Dasuya, former president of the Shiromani Akali Dal’s North America wing, has joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Dasuya called a press conference at his residence here and announced his enrolment in the AAP. He was called to the party office in New Delhi and offered the membership, he said.
About two months ago, he was almost set to join the AAP at a press conference in Jalandhar, but the announcement to this effect was deferred at the eleventh hour, reportedly due to opposition from within the AAP.
Dasuya had fallen out with the Akali leadership after he was removed from the post shortly after the parliamentary elections. He had started cosying up to AAP, but officially he had not severed his relation with his parent party. Recently, he attended all the four sangat darshan functions of deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in Urmur constituency and even hosted one at his marriage palace.
Although he claims otherwise, he is keen to contest elections from Urmur from where a transporter Jasbir Singh Raja has also staked claim. A Lubana by caste, Dasuya eyes the 35,000 odd votes of the community in the constituency.
District SAD president Surinder Singh Bhulewal Rathan refused to comment on the issue, saying Dasuya was not an office-bearer of the party.
AAP’s national executive member Naveen Jairth was oblivious of the development. “We were hearing about his joining for long. He might have done so,” he said.