Won’t rejoin till state unit gets autonomy: Dr Gandhi

Yes, Sanjay had come to my residence to hold talks on my rejoining the party. He said party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal wanted me back

DR DHARAMVIRA GANDHI, MP

PATIALA: After Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader Sanjay Singh made efforts to bring Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi back to the party fold, Gandhi on Tuesday said he will not think of any patch-up unless Delhi leadership acknowledges autonomy to the state unit and accepts resolutions passed at Bathinda convention.

Gandhi was suspended from the party in 2015.

“Yes, Sanjay had come to my residence to hold talks on my rejoining the party. He said Arvind Kejriwal wanted me back. I told him what I had said at Baba Bakala in 2015 that the state unit should get autonomy in decisionmaking. Also, they must clear stand on Punjab’s water-sharing agreements. As of now, I can’t think of rejoining AAP,” he said.

“The Lok Sabha elections are approaching and the party is in disarray, with prominent leaders either having been thrown out by the high command or some having willingly opted out. Back-toback poll defeats have shown them where they stand. I told Sanjay to ask Kejriwal to first identify the reasons behind AAP’s 2017 fiasco in Punjab that ruined Punjabis’ wish to have alternative politics in the state,” said Gandhi.

On his chances of rejoining party, he said “They are desperate, but I am not. Secondly I am not opportunist. I will fight for the pride of volunteers. I have always done issue-based politics.”

Gandhi was the leader of AAP MPs in the Lok Sabha, and was removed from post and later suspended from the party along with MP Harinder Singh Khalsa.

On Monday, Punjab AAP leaders had met sacked leader Sucha Singh Chhotepur to rejoin the party.