Khaira rejects his party’s ‘antiwomen’ charge

Rebel leader says pawns of his detractors behind such allegations

CHANDIGARH: Rebel Aam Aadmi Party leader and former leader of opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Sunday said those accusing him of being “anti-women and anti-Dalit” were acting as pawns of his detractors in the state.

Dismissing the charges being levelled by a section of AAP leaders as “maliciously false and frivolous”, Khaira said people rattled by his continuous fight against corruption and mafias as well as political parties were behind such allegations and wanted to create an unnecessary controversy. “One or two MLAs are claiming that I am getting them insulted on social media. These are baseless allegations,” said the Bholath MLA in a video on Facebook.

Punjab AAP women wing observer Prof Baljinder Kaur held a press conference on Saturday to accuse Khaira’s aides of defaming women MLAs of the party by “using insulting and derogatory” words against them on social media. “A campaign has been running on social media against deputy leader of AAP legislature party Sarabjit Kaur Manuke and MLA Rupinder Kaur Ruby,” she said.

Replying to the statement, Khaira said that when he was made the LoP last year, he was the one who proposed Manuke’s name for the post of deputy leader of the AAP legislature Party. “How can I be called anti-women and anti-Dalit? I have already condemned the act,” he said. Khaira said that people were upset with Manuke and Baljinder Kaur as they did not stand for Punjab.

SLAMS DELHI LEADERSHIP

On charge of being anti-Dalit, the Bholath MLA said three of the six legislators who backed him after he spoke out against the undemocratic act of the party leadership to remove him from the position of LoP belonged to the community. “They are Master Baldev Singh, Pirmal Singh and Jagtar Singh Hissowal. Let the party leadership appoint one of them to the post of LoP,” he said before questioning the conduct of the Delhi leadership of the AAP on this count.

Khaira said they had given three top posts of the party and the government in Delhi to general category. “If they respect Dalits, they should give one of the three posts of the party’s national convener, Delhi chief minister and deputy CM to a leader from the community,” he said.

In another Facebook post later, he urged his supporters and party volunteers to give their contact number, email and suggestions to enable them to restore real democracy in the party.