In a mood to take on the “rebel” faction, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has convened a meeting of all the Punjab legislators on Thursday.
That was not all! In an apparent attempt to “fail” a rebel convention, AAP’s
leadership has also announced to hold a rally in Punjab on August 13, to be attended by AAP’s Punjab party affairs in-charge and Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
The developments came a day before the volunteers’ congregation, called by AAP rebel legislators led by ousted leader of its legislative wing Sukhpal Singh Khaira, was to be held at Bathinda.
Already, party’s both the State leadership and the high command has declared August 2 convention as “anti-party”, while asking the party workers, leaders or volunteers to “stay away”.
Khaira, who is claiming to have the backing of 13 MlAs, has thrown an open challenge to the party high command by refusing to call off the convention and demanding “autonomy” for the State leaders.
Besides the MlAs, Khaira is also enjoying a massive support of the AAP’s Punjabi NRI supporters and the State volunteers.
However, the state leadership on Wednesday released a letter, carrying names of party’s 151 “overseas volunteers from around the world”, claiming support to the party. The letter asked the MlAs “to stay united in support of party”, besides asking the workers “to avoid following any individual and respect the decision taken by the party”.
At the same time, the newly-elected leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema dubbed the convention as “anti-dalit”, while alleging that it was an event “sponsored by the SAD-BJP-RSS and Bains Brothers”.
“The convention has nothing to do with Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and other leaders. The use of photos and names of national leaders, MPs and MlAs for the purpose of confusing AAP workers is illegitimate,” said Cheema.
Notably, Khaira has been making an appeal to all the party workers and volunteers, to attend the August 2 convention, through a poster carrying pictures of AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia, some of the party MPs and MlAs.
Cheema accused that Bains Bothers — lok Inssaf Party president and MlA Simarjeet Singh Bains and his MlA brother Balwinder Singh Bains — are “experts in playing politics of opportunity and trying to break AAP”.
“AAP’s few leaders have come under Bains’ influence and trying to kill their own party. I appeal to these leaders to respect the people’s verdict and strengthen AAP,” said Cheema while cautioning the AAP workers to “stay alert of such suspicious intentions of the opponents”.
lIP, which contested 2017 Punjab elections in alliance with AAP, had severed its ties following Kejriwal’s apology to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a defamation case. However, Bains Brothers have always supported Khaira, and vice-versa.
Amidst all the hullabaloo that started after Khaira’s removal from the post of leader of opposition, Kejriwal lashed out at Simarjeet Bains after he dubbed Cheema as “AAP’s pappu” describing him as “anti-dalit”.
Raising the pitch, Cheema said that the State as well as national leadership must have welcomed the convention if it was scheduled to raise the voice of dalits, farmers, unemployed and against mafias of every kind.
Having “unceremonious removal” in common between them, AAP’s former convenor of Punjab unit Gurpreet Singh Waraich alias Ghuggi on Wednesday supported the defiant Khaira for his August 2 volunteers’ convention.
A comedian-actor-turned-politician, Ghuggi had led the party in 2017 Punjab elections, and had also unsuccessfully contested from Batala seat. Post-resounding defeat, Ghuggi was unceremoniously removed in May last year and replaced by Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann as the party’s State president.
Ghuggi, who released a video message on Wednesday, said that it was unfortunate that a leader like Sukhpal Singh Khaira was removed from his post.
Saying that he would not be able to attend the convention, Ghuggi asked the AAP workers to go to Bathinda to make the convention successful.
Blaming AAP’s central leadership for not giving autonomy to the party’s State unit, Ghuggi supported Khaira for opposing the party’s top leadership and speaking for Punjab.
“I fought for Punjab but was unsuccessful. Whenever someone raises a strong voice in favour of Punjab, his voice is silenced.
“The reason is simple…the people with whom we were fighting for Punjab are not well-intentioned,” he said.
He appealed to AAP workers to support Khaira who stood for people of Punjab.