Chandigarh, Nov. 1 -- Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh on Saturday criticised the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) first list of 40 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections, saying it belied the party's claims of women's empowerment, honest politics and transparency. The AAP on Saturday renominated 40 sitting MLAs from their respective constituencies, including chief minister Bhagwant Mann from Dhuri, becoming the first party to declare its candidates. "The party, which made grand promises before coming to power, has failed to live up to its own claims. Giving tickets to only four women out of 40 candidates exposes AAP's anti-women mindset and its hollow claims of respecting women. The party, which speaks of equal rights and greater political participation for women, has pushed them to the margins when it comes to distributing tickets," he alleged. The Congress leader also said that fielding state minister Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West while he is lodged in jail in a money laundering case raised serious questions about AAP's claims of honest politics. "The party that came to power in the name of fighting corruption is now backing a leader facing serious charges. The AAP leadership must explain to the people of Punjab where its ethical standards disappear when such decisions are made," he said. Congress in-charge for Punjab Sachin Pilot claimed that there was a strong anti-incumbency against the Bhagwant Mann regime. "People are looking at us as a ray of hope. The Congress is the only party which can form the government in Punjab. The rest are only contesting the elections, be it the Akali Dal, BJP or any other party," he said. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Delhi, former Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring described the AAP list as an attempt to prevent candidates from switching sides. He also questioned why Punjab AAP president Aman Arora and finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema had not been named in the list. Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon also claimed the AAP made the list of its candidates public because it feared the candidates might leave the party. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the AAP had shown complete disregard for the sentiments of the Khalsa Panth, while releasing its first list of candidates. "In its first list, the AAP has shown complete disregard for the sentiments of the Khalsa Panth by giving a Vidhan Sabha ticket to Manwinder Singh Giaspura, who was declared 'tankhaiya' by Akal Takht," Sukhbir said. He also criticised the AAP for fielding Sanjeev Arora, who was in jail on corruption charges. "By rewarding such people, AAP is preparing for even worse misrule than the previous five years," he alleged....