Words are not matching with the action of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership. Even as the party head Arvind Kejriwal clarified during his Punjab visit on Sunday that he was not averse to holding talks with the rebel MlAs in the party’s interest, the AAP leadership on Monday took another decision to weaken the dissidents.
It has replaced Mansa MlA Nazar Singh Manshahia and Bhadaur MlA Pirmal Singh Khalsa, who supported Sukhpal Singh Khaira led rebel group, as the Chief Whip and Whip, respectively, of AAP’s legislative party. The decision was taken by AAP MlA and the leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday during a meeting with the MlAs.
Cheema appointed Kotkapura MlA Kultar Singh Sandhwa as Mansahia’s replacement, while Ropar MlA Amarjit Singh Sandoa has been appointed as Whip in Khalsa’s place. Bathinda (Rural) MlA Rupinder Kaur Ruby, who had initially supported Khaira but now staying away from the rebel faction, has been retained as party’s whip. Undeterred, the rebel faction is in no mood to lie down. In fact, it once again challenged the party leadership by declaring the ousted leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Sukhpal Khaira as its ad-hoc president, till the setting up of new organizational structure, which was “dissolved” by the “rebels” during its August 2 volunteers’ convention at Bathinda.
Khaira-led rebel faction, comprising eight out of total 20 MlA, has been virtually declaring its functional supremacy and autonomy by indicating that its actions are “official” and “official actions” are unofficial. In fact, it was projecting itself as a parallel power centre within the AAP’s Punjab unit — taking its own decisions, setting up own structure, and what not!
Of late, the rebel faction has set up an ad-hoc Political Affairs Committee (PAC) to “monitor and supervise the reconstitution of entire political structure of the party in the state”, including the appointment of the president or convener in the coming days.
In the latest move, AAP’s rebel faction elected Khaira as its ad-hoc president who further announced several district convention programmes.
The rebel MlAs announced to boycott of AAP’s “official” leader of Opposition’s meetings maintaining that he was “rejected” for the post by the people and party volunteers during the Bathinda convention.
The move came a day after AAP’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Deputy and Punjab party affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia visited the state and held couple of meetings with the senior party leaders including state president and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, co-president and Sunam MlA AMan Arora, Faridkot MP Prof Sadhu Singh, Cheema, besides some MlAs and leaders.