They are singing the same tune but from different podiums. Both the power centres of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, one led by rebel MlA Sukhpal Singh Khaira while another owing allegiance to Delhi Durbar, are talking in terms of reconciliation, but moving in different directions — evident from the ‘rebel’ faction constituting an ad hoc Political Affairs Committee (PAC) on Tuesday.
On the other hand, AAP’s State unit president Bhagwant Mann launched a scathing attack on the Khaira and his supporting MlAs, including Kanwar Sandhu for making efforts to split up the party, while also indicating that the party may also initiate disciplinary action against the dissenters.
Hours later, Khaira lashed out at Mann for his “cheap theatrics” while “attacking me below the belt without any facts, which shows that he is badly frustrated, dejected and depressed”.
The development assumes significance as the party’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has decided to take control of the party’s State affairs by extensively touring the state in October in the run up to 2019 lok Sabha polls.
Before that, Kejriwal’s deputy and Punjab party affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia would be addressing a mega rally on August 13 at Jalandhar, besides party’s most popular face Bhagwant Mann too holding rallies across the State in the coming days.
While the party leadership has asked the “misguided” rebel MlAs to return to the party fold, the Khaira faction, a day before, had also made it clear that they are very much part of the party and they did not want to split it.
But with fissures within the state unit widening with each passing day, the split appeared to be imminent any time now.
REBEl SET UP PAC FOR PUNJAB
Khaira-led rebel faction has thrown an open challenge to the high command’s authority by declaring the State unit “free from Delhi leadership” and dissolving the state unit organisational structure while setting up a new one during its August 2 volunteer’s convention at Bathinda while passing a total of six resolutions.
Putting into action its resolution to reconstitute the State party unit structure, AAP’s rebel faction on Tuesday announced its eight-plus-eight member ad-hoc political affairs committee (PAC) consisting of eight rebel MlAs and eight special invitees 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.
The Committee members include eight ‘rebel’ MlAs including Khaira, Kanwar Sandhu (Kharar), Nazar Singh Mansahia (Mansa), Jagdev Singh Kamalu (Maur), Master Baldev Singh (Jaiton), Pirmal Singh Khalsa (Bhadaur), Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal (Raikot) and Jai Kishan Rori (Garhshankar). Mansahia will be the panel’s member secretary.
Besides, the panel would also have eight special invitees, said Sandhu adding that all the members and special invitees of ad-hoc PAC will also be members of the proposed ad-hoc State executive committee which will be announced shortly.
Sandhu said that ad-hoc State PAC will monitor and supervise the reconstitution of the entire political structure of the state including the appointment of the State president or convenor.
“It will also set up the party structure at the district, assembly constituency and block levels. It will also supervise the district level party volunteer meetings to infuse new spirit in the party and strengthen the State unit,” said Sandhu.
He said that once the State political structure is in place, the adhoc PAC and adhoc State Executive will stand dissolved, and the new State Executive and State PAC would be constituted.
“This is the first step towards reconstitution of the structure of AAP in Punjab after the AAP Volunteers Convention at Bathinda. Six resolutions were passed at the Convention, including declaration of autonomy for the Punjab unit. The Convention had also scrapped the existing structure of party in the State and announced that the process of forming the fresh structure would start soon. The whole process will be in line with the concept of Swaraj as envisaged by our national convenor Arvind Kejriwal,” said Sandhu.
AAP REJECTS AD HOC PANEl
Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday rejected the ad-hoc Political Affairs Committee (PAC) announced by Sukhpal Singh Khaira group.
AAP State president Bhagwant Mann said that lakhs of party volunteers have worked hard to build the party and they have no right to demolish it.
At the same time, he warned that the party will take legal action in case Khaira and Sandhu continue to violate party guidelines.
Commenting on the same, AAP’s Punjab unit co-president Dr Balbir Singh said that Khaira’s decision is autocratic.
MANN ATTACKS KHAIRA, SANDHU
Breaking his long silence, AAP’s State president and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann made serious allegations against Khaira-Sandhu duo of continuously making efforts to break away the party. “They are presenting the fight for their posts as that of a battle between Punjab unit and Delhi leadership,” said Mann.
“To fulfill their personal ambition and vested interests, they are defying the party’s discipline on one hand, while misguiding the innocent volunteers and MlAs in the name of Punjab and Punjabiyat, said Mann, who was addressing the media after a long gap, along with party MlA Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, youth wing president Manjinder Singh Sidhu and State General Secretary Narinder Singh Shergill.
Mann said that he need not explain his love and dedication for Punjab and Punjabiyat to Khaira and Sandhu.
Reacting to the allegations by Khaira-Sandhu, Mann said that he always stood by the people of Punjab but why Khaira-Sandhu’s love for Punjab rose just after the change of leader of opposition by the party and government withdrawing facilities given to Khaira.
“Their fight is just to grab the power and they have nothing to do with the people of Punjab,” he said.
Drawing parallel between Khaira and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mann Said that Khaira has dictatorial mindset and behaving like Modi who tags everyone anti-national whosoever goes against his will.
Questioning Khaira’s silence over the issues of public interest after his removal from the post of lOP, Mann asked have the mafias of all kind stopped its operations after July 26 or was it just till the time he was availing the Government facilities.
He asked why not he ever demanded autonomy from Sonia Gandhi while being in Congress.
Saying that Khaira-Sandhu even mocked his illness and did not wait till he get discharged from the hospital, Mann asked Khaira to be ready to face the heat from people of Bholath who elected him to raise their voice but he always focused on settling his personal scores with political opponents.
Flaying Khaira-Sandhu of being opportunists, MlA Meet Hayer said that Sandhu even tried hard to get the leader of opposition seat for himself but failing in that he started leveling baseless allegations against the party.
He claimed that Sandhu claimed to tackle Khaira in case party appoints him the leader in Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
KHAIRA RETORTS TO MANN’S MAlICIOUS, FRIVOlOUS AllEGATIONS
Responding to Mann’s allegations, Khaira dubbed it as maliciously and utterly false, saying that he was appalled to see the cheap level theatrics by an elected MP.
“I always considered Bhagwant Mann as my younger brother, but unfortunately, the MP has failed to show restrain while attacking me below the belt without any facts, which shows that he is badly frustrated, dejected and depressed,” he said.
Khaira said that he will consult his MlA and party colleagues on Wednesday morning and rebut all bogus charges leveled by Mann point by point, only if they approve of doing so. Because a random perusal of social media today has shown that a vast majority of Punjabis have totally debunked, trashed and rejected the despicable allegations of Mann, said Khaira.
Khaira said that it is now abundantly clear, that Mann has only acted as mouthpiece of the Congress, with whom AAP’s national leadership has forged an alliance with.
“Mann should have the courage to publically admit the secret deal between AAP and Congress at the cost of Punjabis, who left no stone unturned in supporting him and the party whole heartedly,” he said.
BARNAlA’S 30 OFFICE BEARERS STEP DOWN
Peeved by the authoritarian attitude of AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal, more than 30 office-bearers of Mehal Kalan constituency in Barnala on Tuesday submitted their resignations.
They accused Kejriwal of having anti-Punjab attitude, while also attacking at party MlA from Mehal Kalan Kulwant Singh for siding with the Delhi leadership instead of Punjab in greed for his MlA-ship.