Bhagwant Mann, who donated his salary to Irom Sharmila's party, represents Sangrur in Lok Sabha.
Highlights
- Bhagwant Mann said Irom Sharmila is fighting injustice in Manipur
- Yesterday, Arvind Kejriwal donated Rs 50,000 to Ms Sharmila's party
- Ms Sharmila had earlier consulted Mr Kejriwal about poll strategy
A day after Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal donated Rs 50,000 to rights activist Irom Sharmila's party in Manipur, his party's tallest leader in Punjab, Sangrur lawmaker Bhagwant Mann, followed it up with a month's salary. Mr Mann, who has taken on Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal from Jalalabad, tweeted this morning, saying he had donated the salary he gets as a Member of Parliament to Ms Sharmila, "who is fighting against the "corrupt system" and "injustice" in Manipur. The compensation for a lawmaker - including constituency and office staff allowances - is nearly Rs 2 lakh a month, the basic salary is Rs 50,000.
Ms Sharmila -- who forced the People's Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA) after ending her 16-year fast against AFSPA -- is contesting against Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh from Thoubal constituency. The 44-year-old had triggered a controversy earlier this month, claiming that the BJP had offered her a ticket and suggested that it would pay a hefty Rs 36 crore for her campaign. Ms Sharmila said she had refused. But her fledgling party is battling a chronic shortage of funds -- the party members have been forced to campaign on cycle to reach out to the masses.
Mr Kejriwal's AAP had also crowdfunded its campaign for Delhi in 2015 - an election the party had swept, winning 77 of the 80 assembly seats.
On Saturday, the Delhi Chief Minister, who had met Ms Sharmila in September and advised her on election strategy, said he was donating Rs 50,000 to PRJA and also made an appeal to people on Twitter for help.
Today, Mr Mann tweeted:
Ms Mann happens to be one of the four leaders of AAP who won a seat from Punjab in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. There are speculations that he could be a Chief Ministerial candidate if AAP won the elections. After its sweep in Delhi, the party is hoping for big wins in the Punjab and Goa assembly elections. Mr Mann has predicted that the party will win at least 100 of Punjab's 117 assembly seats.