Officebearers seek disciplinary action against Khaira, Sandhu

Accuse dissident party MLAS from Bholath, Kharar of trying to break the party

CHANDIGARH: The majority of office-bearers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’S Punjab unit on Thursday demanded disciplinary action against dissident MLAS Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Kanwar Sandhu for indulging in “anti-party” activities.

The demand was made in a meeting of office-bearers, including zone presidents, district chiefs, halqa (constituency) in-charges and heads of different wings, convened in Chandigarh to discuss the ongoing crisis in the state unit.

AAP state co-president Balbir Singh, Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema and Barnala MLA Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer were also present in the meeting.

Balbir Singh said that most of them pressed for action against Bholath MLA Khaira and his Kharar counterpart Sandhu for trying to break the party. “We will inform the central leaders about the prevailing sentiment among the party office-bearers in Punjab. It is for them to take the final call,” he told HT.

Khaira and Sandhu are among the eight MLAS who have raised a banner of revolt against the AAP central and state leadership following Khaira’s removal from the post of leader of opposition in the assembly last month. The dissident group first held a volunteers’ convention in Bathinda that was declared “anti-party” by the AAP leadership and then also decided to

Most MLAS are in touch with me. They will fall in line soon and work to strengthen the party. We won’t let other parties break AAP. BHAGWANT MANN, Sangrur MP

announce their separate organisational set-up in the state.

Mann, who addressed the meeting, said he will try to reach out to the dissident leaders and convince them. “Most MLAS are in touch with me. I am sure they will fall in line soon and work to strengthen the party. We will not let the people from other parties break AAP. This is a testing time for party workers and they will not let us down,” he said, cautioning the NRI supporters of the party against “mischievous” plans of some people to break the party.

The Sangrur MP said he will meet people across the state in the coming days, holding meetings in Bathinda, Faridkot, Mansa, Moga and Muktsar to begin with. On the controversial audio clip released by a Khaira aide, he said his approach was to pacify the agitating people and request them to avoid disrupting (AAP national convener) Arvind Kejriwal’s rally.

SISODIA’S AUGUST 13 MEETING POSTPONED

Another decision was to postpone the August 13 meeting in which Delhi deputy chief minister and Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia was to address 4000-odd party office-bearers from across the state. “The statelevel meeting will be held in the last week of this month, but no date has been decided,” said Balbir Singh.

However, the conference at

Issru village in Ludhiana will be organised as per plan on August 15 to pay tribute to Shaheed Karnail Singh Issru. Cheema and Meet Hayer also addressed the meeting.

The AAP also removed Boota

Singh Bairagi from the official list of media panellists due to his acts of indiscipline.

“Bairagi was warned about indiscipline in the past as well, but he did not fall in line,” said the state unit co-president.