Delhi Durbar’ has its say once again in Punjab unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). In a shocking decision, the party has removed its most ‘vocal’ and experienced leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira from the post of the leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha, replacing him with a greenhorn legislator from Driba reserved constituency, Harpal Singh Cheema.
Apparently upset with the party’s decision, Khaira minced no words to express his displeasure, and blamed the party high command for doing “what Congress-SAD-BJP wanted”. He said that he lost the post for “speaking the truth”.
The announcement of Khaira’s removal and Cheema’s appointment was made by the party’s State affairs in-charge and Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia through the social media, which has virtually replaced the Press conferences briefings to make announcements and appointments these days.
“AAP has decided to change its leader of Opposition in Punjab. HarPal Singh Cheema, MlA Dirba constituency shall be leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly,” he tweeted from his official Twitter handle in the evening.
Cheema is the third leader of Opposition appointed by AAP since it pushed the SAD-BJP combine to the poor third place and became the main Opposition party by bagging mere 20 seats in 117-member House in February 2017 elections.
Dakha MlA and renowned lawyer HS Phoolka was the first one to be appointed as the leader of party’s legislative wing. Four months later, Phoolka gave up the post to fight cases for 1984 riot victims, and the party appointed Khaira in July 2017.
The latest development assumes significance as AAP in Punjab has been plagued by internal conflicts, virtually being headless since months, its senior leaders hitting the headlines every day for some wrong reasons, prominent leaders drifting apart, inexperienced leaders, among other things.
AAP, which was once considered to sweep 2017 Punjab polls and form the government, has all along been struggling to keep its momentum it gained in 2014 lok Sabha elections by bagging four seats, out of 13, in Punjab.
Khaira’s removal from the coveted post came at the time when he was at collision course with the party’s state unit co-president Dr Balbir Singh, who was appointed by the party high command to restructure the state unit. In the absence of party’s state president, Dr Balbir was virtually taking all decisions regarding the party and making all appointments.
Sharp differences between the two were witnessed during a press briefing where Khaira bitterly contradicted Dr Balbir on the controversy surrounding his statement on the issue of “Referendum 2020”.
In the immediate aftermath of Khaira’s statement allegedly “backing” Referendum 2020, Dr Balbir had issued a statement saying that AAP did not support what Khaira had said and that an explanation will be sought from him on his statement.
Even as the two leaders started appearing together on common platforms, another political storm hit AAP’s State unit when 16 of its senior leaders, including six district presidents, submitted their resignations from the party posts in protest against Dr Balbir’s “arbitrary decisions”.
In a joint resignation letter addressed to Sisodia, they had stated that Dr Balbir had taken several “wrong decisions” from the time he was appointed the state co-president due to which the party’s graph was plummeting in the state, and he should be removed from the party so that it is strengthened in Punjab.
Notably, all 16 of them owe their allegiance to Khaira, while he had rubbished reports that their resignations were fallout of differences between him and Dr Balbir.
KHAIRA SAW IT COMING
Seeing it coming, Khaira had gone “live” from his official Facebook page accusing Dr Balbir of hatching a conspiracy to create a rift between him and AAP’s two big leaders, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia.
Khaira, in his video message, accused Dr Babir of circulating “false” allegations of taking money from party workers in Shutrana.
He even maintained that it was a conspiracy against him to take away the post of leader of opposition.
CHEEMA, A DAlIT FACE
AAP’s official statement issued from party state headquarter stated that “a dalit face from the state has been given responsibility”.
The national convener of AAP, Arvind Kejriwal, has written a letter to the Speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha requesting him to appoint Harpal Cheema as lOP”.
After announcing Cheema’s name on Twitter, Sisodia tweeted his picture with him saying, “Met and congratulated Harpal Cheema MlA…I am sure he'll emerge as a strong Dalit leader and become a voice of all Dalit and marginalized communities of Punjab, in assembly and outside as well.”
PREPARED
TO lET GO 100 SUCH POSITIONS: KHAIRA
Khaira was quick to react to the party high command’s decision to remove him from the coveted post. Within minutes of Sisodia’s tweet, Khaira too took to Twitter to express his displeasure, and suggesting that he lost the post for speaking the truth.
“If speaking the truth and espousing the cause of Punjab, Punjabis and Sikhs cost me the leader of Opposition post, I'm prepared let go 100 such positions,” he tweeted, adding that “Those at the helm have done what Congress-Akali Dal-BJP wanted”.
“I have discharged my duty as loP with uttermost sincerity, dedication n fearlessness towards PB n Punjabi’s,” he had said.
KHAIRA’s lOVE-HATE RElATIONSHIP WITH DElHI
A former Congressman, Khaira always had a love and hate relationship with the party high command, apparently because of his outspoken and vocal attitude.
He never restrained himself for speaking against the party’s Delhi leadership. In fact, he has always pressed for giving full powers to the state leadership.
And why not! Khaira was the only AAP MlA who has been elected to the Vidhan Sabha for the second time.
He was among the few prominent leaders of AAP in Punjab who had lashed out at party chief Arvind Kejriwal for taking the apology route to end defamation cases filed by Akali leaders. Khaira had then called Kejriwal's apology to an Akali Dal leader a “meek surrender” and made an effort to mobilize lawmakers against the central leadership.
He had also resigned from the post of party’s Chief Whip in protest after his claims were ignored by the high command for party’s state unit president and appointed Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann on the apex post.
AAP’s ANOTHER WRONG DECISION: BAINS
Supporting Khaira, his friend and lok Insaaf Party president Simarjeet Singh Bains too criticized his removal. “By removing Sukhpal Khaira as lOP, Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal fulfilled desires of Akali Dal, BJP and Congress. That’s what they want. Sukhpal Khaira was efficiently doing his duty as lOP. Another Worst decision,” he said.
Two-time MlA, Khaira has politics running in his blood. He is the son of Punjab’s former Education Minister and three-time MlA Sukhjinder Singh, who is a renowned Akali stalwart.
Starting his political career in 1993, he was elected as Member Panchayat of Ramgarh village in Kapurthala district, followed by his election as Kapurthala Zila Parishad Member in 1994.
Khaira, who joined Youth Congress in 1997, was appointed its vice-president, followed by his appointment as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) secretary in 1999.
lost in oblivion after his defeat in 2012 polls, Khaira shifted his loyalties towards AAP in December 2015 — just over a year before 2017 elections seeing an upsurge in “nascent” AAP’s popularity.