The rift between the central leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its Punjab unit on Sunday widened further with no fewer than 10 legislators making it clear that they were in no mood to reconcile.
led by leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Sukhpal Khaira, a total of 10 MlAs refused to go to Delhi for attending a meeting called by the party’s central leadership to explain the circumstances leading to the tendering of apology by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal to SAD leader Bikram Majithia.
Those who did not attend the meeting, held at the residence of Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is also the party’s State unit in-charge, included Kanwar Sandhu, HS Phoolka, Nazar Singh Manshahia, Gurmeet Singh ‘Meet Hayer’, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Pirmal Singh Dhaula, Baldev Singh, and Jagdev Singh.
The remaining legislators, including Aman Arora, Baljinder Kaur, Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, Rupinder Ruby, Kultar Singh, Amarjeet Singh Sandoa, Jai Kishan Rothi, Manjeet Singh, Harpal Cheema, and Buddha Ram attended the meeting to know what forced their national head Kejriwal to tender the apology, and appeared to be satisfied with his clarification.
Kejriwal himself was present during the meeting and explained his stand. On Thursday, Kejriwal stunned everyone, including his own party members in Punjab, by tendering an apology for having levelled “unfounded” allegations against Majithia in connection with his involvement in drugs trade. Following this, Majithia decided to withdraw a defamation case against the Delhi Chief Minister.
In a fallout, party’s State unit president Bhagwant Mann and co-president Aman Arora resigned from the party posts, while its ally in Punjab — lok Insaaf Party — too parted ways.
The State unit witnessed a vertical split between two factions — one owing allegiance to Delhi leaders and another led by Khaira.
While the State leaders call for “complete autonomy” to the Punjab AAP, disgruntled leaders were also contemplating the possibility of forming a breakaway faction.
Kejriwal’s apology has come at a time when all the major political parties are gearing up for Vidhan Sabha’s Budget session, starting Tuesday, leaving AAP without ammunition to attack the ruling Congress for its failure.
The decision to stay away from Delhi is a part of the “non-cooperation movement” launched by a section of party leaders, led by Khaira.
Khaira and Sandhu had already made it clear that in case the Delhi leaders want to meet and explain their stand to party’s Punjab leaders, they should come to them instead of calling them to the national capital.
Miffed over Kejriwal’s “meek surrender”, Khaira on Friday had accused the party chief of showing shown mental weakness which was not acceptable to the party MlAs in Punjab.
One of the MlA, who has attended the meeting, told The Pioneer that Kejriwal was tendering apology to everyone who had filed the defamation cases against him, and in the days to come he would also tender an apology to the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
“Ram Jethmalani, a renowned lawyer, charged lakhs of rupees for contesting cases against Jaitley, and all other cases too needs huge money which is not possible for a leader like Kejriwal and party like AAP,” said the AAP MlA.