AAP sets up two committees in US, Khaira backers kept out

NAMES 6 NEW YOUTH WING DISTRICT CHIEFS

CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has constituted two committees in the United States as part of a revamp exercise to build its support base overseas, keeping out supporters of rebel party leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira.

The two committees – one for the East Coast and the other for West Coast – have been constituted by AAP Global convener Prithvi Reddy more than three months after all the overseas organisational units of the party were disbanded.

The committees, according to the overseas wing, have been set up following numerous consultations with city-wise chapters of party supporters in the US to “revitalise support teams from across the world”.

The two committees announced on Monday have 23 members, including Punjabi non-resident Indians (NRIS) from Boston, New York, New Jersey, Dallas, Washington, California, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Yuba City.

However, none of those who spoke out in support of Khaira after he was removed by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal from the post of leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly and later opposed the disbanding of all overseas units of the party have found place in the two committees.

Efforts to contact Reddy did not elicit any response.

OVERSEAS UNITS DISSOLVED AMID FACTIONAL FEUD

Reddy, who was made convener of AAP overseas in August 2018, had dissolved the party units in the US, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Germany and some other countries in the “larger interest” of the party amid factional feud in Punjab.

A number of former NRI office-bearers of the AAP had criticised the decision, throwing their lot with Khaira and seven other dissident MLAS who have been demanding “khudmukhtyari” The AAP on Tuesday named six new youth wing district presidents.

AAP youth wing in-charge and MLA Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said those who have been appointed district chiefs are Harmandeep Singh Hundal (SAS Nagar), Jasbir Singh (Patiala Rural), Amulya Singh (Faridkot), Ram Kumar (Rupnagar), Ved Prakash

Bablu (Amritsar Urban) and Mandeep Singh Atwal (SBS Nagar).

The names of district presidents have been announced after a discussion with the core committee members and others, he said.

(autonomy) for the party unit in the state.

These office-bearers, mostly from the US, had accused the party leadership of dissolving the NRI chapters in an undemocratic manner through a “generic email and message in their Whatsapp group”.

Both the AAP and the dissident faction had claimed support of Punjabis settled abroad with Khaira, suspended from the party last month for “antiparty activities”, even announcing to set up own organisational units overseas.

When contacted, Khaira said the AAP had lost support among NRIS. “They have no presence left there now due to their arbitrary and undemocratic decisions,” he said.

AAP GLOBAL FORMS COMMITTEES FOR EAST COAST, WEST COAST THREE MONTHS AFTER ALL ITS OVERSEAS CHAPTERS WERE DISBANDED

PUNJABIS MAINSTAY OF NRI SUPPORT BASE

The AAP, born out of an anticorruption crusade that social activist Anna Hazare started seven years ago, had received overwhelming response from NRIS in a dozen countries worldwide with Punjabis being the mainstay of their support base.

They not only generously contributed funds, but also made lakhs of calls to voters to drum up support for the party candidates during the elections in Delhi, Punjab and Goa.

About 15-20% of the party’s election funds came from volunteers abroad at one stage.

However, continued infighting and ouster of several senior leaders have left several of them disappointed.