LONDON – Several leaders and members of the UK unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday sought blessings at the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Southall before undertaking a mile-long walk before boarding a flight to Amritsar to campaign for the party on Monday.
Sunday shoppers and worshippers at the gurdwara looked on as the AAP procession wound its way to the beating of drums and slogans along Broadway to Hayes, where the last event of the party’s ‘Flame of Hope’ campaign concluded.
The flame is to be carried to Punjab and handed over to AAP leader and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on February 1. Over 100 party supporters were booked on flights to leave for Punjab on Monday, AAP sources told Hindustan Times.
The procession included Harpreet Singh, convener of AAP’s UK unit, councillor Manjit Singh Bhuttar (Hounslow council), and party leaders from west London, which has a large concentration of people of Punjab origin.
A customised van has been traversing Britain to raise funds and awareness about the party’s stand in the forthcoming elections in Punjab and Goa. The torch campaign was first launched before the Delhi elections in 2015.
The van has so far travelled from Leamington Spa and Warwick to East London, Nottingham, Wolverhampton and Birmingham among other cities. The party’s supporters have organised election-related events, including among the large Goan community in Swindon.
The party’s target was to raise the equivalent of Rs 50 lakh from Britain and contribute to the party’s expenses in Punjab and Goa.
