| After top leaders join AAP, Panthers Party facing identity crisis | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, May 10: After the joining of three former legislators including ex-chairman and former president joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), one of the oldest political parties of the J&K-Panthers Party, is facing identity crises.
On May 7, three-time MLA and former education minister Harsh Dev Singh joined the AAP in Delhi. Harsh Dev Singh is the chairman of the Panthers Party.
Terming the joining of Harsh Dev Singh in the party as a turning point in the political history of J&K, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said that he (Harsh Dev Singh) has vast political experience.
Before joining Harsh Dev Singh, two former legislators of the party Balwant Singh Mankotia and Yash Paul Kundal have joined the party in New Delhi on April 10
Along with them, more than 100 local leaders, including village heads, and members of the block development council (BDC) and district development council (DDC), also joined the party in the presence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Environment Minister Gopal Rai.
Mankotia is a two-time MLA from Udhampur and resigned from the Panthers Party in February last year, citing a “family issue”. Kundal, another Panthers Party leader, is also a two-time MLA and former minister.
Except for Prof. Bhim Singh, all ex-legislators of the Panthers Party have quitted the party during the last couple of years.
The Panthers Party was founded on March 23, 1982, by Prof Bhim Singh and a few prominent youth political personalities.
Harsh Dev was thrice elected to the then legislative assembly from the Ramnagar constituency in 1996, 2002, and 2008.
On February 13, the Panthers Party had suffered a setback when its entire Samba district unit resigned from the primary membership of the party.
On February 10, 2021, the party had suffered a major jolt when former MLA from the Udhampur assembly constituency and party president Balwant Singh Mankotia resigned from the party and joined AAP on April 10. The two-time MLA and former minister from Samba constituency, Yash Paul Kundal, has also joined AAP.
Fariq Nath, another Panthers Party MLA joined Congress before the 2014 assembly elections.
Differences have cropped up between Harsh Dev and his uncle professor Bhim Singh, who had recently lodged a complaint with Jammu SSP claiming that the former had issued threats to him.
Consequently, a video went viral on social media where Harsh Dev was seen apologizing to his uncle, besides blaming him for “ruining” the party just for a “woman”, which Harsh Dev Sigh didn’t name.
On February 13, the Panthers Party had suffered a setback when its entire Samba district unit resigned from the primary membership of the party.
Jaya Mala, the wife of Prof Bhim Singh and one of the founder members of the Panthers Party, has come out openly in favour of Harsh Dev and pledged all-out support to the former education minister. |
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