In news for all the wrong reasons not just in Punjab but the entire nation, the Aam Aadmi Party’s top leadership on Monday virtually gagged its State leaders by warning them against public utterances. At the same time, the party made it clear that the fight for 2017 State Assembly elections was on. With the rebels within increasing by the day in Punjab, the AAP has minced no words to warn its leaders or workers of “strict action” if they went against the party. The party, in no unclear terms, has asked its leaders to raise their issues or concerns at the party forum and not in the media.
“Party discipline will be maintained at all costs. Those who have problem can speak against anyone and anything, but only within the party. Going to the media against the party will not be tolerated. They are free to take their issue on party form,” AAP’s Punjab unit convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur told The Pioneer. The party’s State Executive, that met on Monday in Mohali, has cautioned its disgruntled leaders from airing their problems in the media. The meeting was presided over by Sanjay Singh, party’s national secretary and State unit in-charge. Chhotepur, at the same time, made it clear that the party would not hesitate to take strict action against the leaders violating this directive. “Those still indulge in speaking against the party in the media would face strict action, and in fact, would be expelled from the party,” he asserted.
His assertions came a day after party’s Patiala MP Dr Dharam Vira Gandhi had justified his decision of supporting Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan saying that he had “done no wrong by demanding complete democracy within the party, opposing the undemocratic way of conducting national council meet”. Dr Gandhi had maintained that he was, in fact, acting as the “watchdog” of the party’s principles and policies, and would do everything to maintain party’s foundation principles in the future too.
Cracking down on its dissenters, the party has already expelled the state unit organizing committee member and its lok Sabha candidate from Jalandhar Jyoti Mann for indiscipline and asked not to represent the party at any forum. It has also suspended party’s Punjab unit spokesperson Prof Manjit Singh and its Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency candidate Bhai Baldeep Singh for alleged anti-party activities, besides many others.
Not discouraged by the fissures within the AAP’s state unit, the party’s state executive has chalked out a strategy to take up state specific issues as a part of its “Mission Vistaar” — aimed at expanding its base in Punjab — with an eye on 2017 polls. The party has decided to launch a “Beimaan Bhajao, Punjab Bachao Yatra” from May 15 to 30. “The tour will start from Amritsar, and then it would reach Sri Anadpur Sahib and then cover all districts of the state. It would be against the SAD-BJP coalition’s government which has ruined the state,” said Chhotepur.
“We have also decided to celebrate Baisakhi on April 14, and then a large scale protest would be held at Delhi against the NDA government’s land Bill on Apr 22 where farmers from all across Punjab would gather,” he added. Concentrating fully on 2017 assembly polls, the party has decided to stay away from the civic body polls, and also from April 11 byelection to Dhuri assembly constituency, which is a part of Sangrur parliamentary constituency represented by AAP MP Bhagwant Mann.