Sucha Singh Chhotepur continues to be the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener of Punjab — at least officially.
Amidst “unsubstantiated” reports of five members recommending his removal, the party’s central leadership on Monday clarified that Chhotepur has not been removed as convener of party’s Punjab unit.
The State’s party affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh dubbed the reports as “baseless” and “unsubstantiated”.
Singh said that no decision to remove Chhotepur has been taken at any level.
There are reports in a section of media that Chhotepur has been removed as State AAP convener after taking the decision on May 9 in the State executive meeting, attended by five out of eight members.
“I was not aware of any such meeting... when it was held or where it was held…State party affairs in-charge and our national leaders has clarified the reports on Twitter that there’s no truth in these reports…Why such leaders have made such a statement is known to them,” Chhotepur told The Pioneer.
He added that in case there was anything of that sort, it would have conveyed to him till now.
Reports suggested that the meeting was held on Saturday to discuss the functioning of the Punjab’s executive committee.
It was attended by party MPs Harinder Singh Khalsa and Prof Sadhu Singh, while Bhagwant Mann attended through teleconferencing. Besides, Daljit Singh and Yamini Gomar also participated.
It was noticed in the meeting that Chhotepur, after becoming AAP convener, had not convened a single meeting of the State executive in nine months while the party constitution said that it should be held twice every month.
On the same grounds, the five members, after the meeting, wrote to the AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal conveying its decision to remove Chhotepur and appoint a new convener in his place.