AAPology row: Delhi or Chandigarh? Kejriwal’s invite underlines divide
Senior leader reacts day after state unit fails to reach consensus on next step
CHANDIGARH: The invitation by Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) central leadership to its Punjab unit leaders and MLAs for a meeting with convener Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi on Sunday has ended up highlighting a divide over his apology to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a defamation case. Most of the 20 MLAs of the party, which is the main opposition in the state assembly of 117, have decided that the “high command” should instead come to Chandigarh to explain his position.
Among those not going are senior leaders such as Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who is leader of opposition in the assembly, and MLAs Kanwar Sandhu, HS Phoolka and Nazar Singh Manshahia. “Why should we go ? Galti vi oho karan, te bulaan vi sanu Delhi nu? (First they make the mistake and now want us to visit them in Delhi!). Most of us are not going,” said Khaira.
However, three of the legislators, Amarjit Singh Sandoa, Baljinder Kaur and Kultar Singh Sandhwan, met Kejriwal in Delhi on Saturday. “He told us that he is tendering apologies in all defamation cases, including the one filed by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, because he thinks fighting these cases is a waste of time and needs huge amount of money as lawyers’ fee,” said Sandhwan. These three were among the seven MLAs who did not participate in a meeting on Friday evening where the others decided against going to Delhi, it’s learnt. Others absent were Aman Arora, Sarvjeet Kaur Manuke, Harpal Cheema and Phoolka. While Phoolka said he is not going due to a private engagement in Bathinda, Manuke and Cheema could not be contacted.
Arora said he will attend the Delhi meeting “so as to know what pushed our national chief to tender an apology”. “Let him explain. Only then can we draw any inference,” said Arora, who resigned as co-president of the state unit in protest against the apology. But Sandhu said he was hopeful Arora would also not go: “I had a word with him on Friday and he was of the opinion that the high command should come to the MLAs.” Manshahia too said the leadership should respect the larger sentiment and hold a meeting in Chandigarh.
Amid this, Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, who resigned as state unit president in protest on Friday, is of the opinion that there is “no harm” in meeting Kejriwal in Delhi. “We should at least listen to what he has to say about reasons behind his apology,” he said.
The central leadership on Saturday made calls to invite most of the MLAs to Delhi for what is being seen as a show of strength in favour of Kejriwal. Delhi deputy CM and party’s Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia invited MLAs and senior leaders. Sandhwan claimed, “By Sunday morning all MLAs, barring six or seven, will be ready to meet Kejriwal in Delhi.”
› Why should we go? First they make the mistake and now want us to visit them in Delhi! Most of us are not going.
SUKHPAL SINGH KHAIRA, leader of opposition in Punjab assembly
› There is no harm in meeting Kejriwal in Delhi. We should at least listen to what he has to say on reasons for his apology.
BHAGWANT MANN, Sangrur MP, who has quit as Punjab AAP chief
CHANDIGARH: Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader HS Phoolka on Saturday asked party MLAs in Punjab to seek “autonomy” for the state unit rather than forming a separate outfit in the best interests of the state, a day after the majority of party legislators contemplated a split.
Giving his views for the first time after party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s apology to former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) minister Bikram Singh Majithia on drug allegations, which pushed the state unit into a crisis, the former leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly and Dakha MLA also suggested that the state unit should function like a regional party with total independence on state matters.
“In best interest of Pb, my suggestion to Pb AAP MLAs — demand autonomy, not a separate party. AAP Punjab should function as a Regional party with an alliance with national AAP. In Punjab matters, total independence & on national issues, go by National leadership (sic),” Phoolka, a noted Supreme Court lawyer, tweeted.
The state leadership on Friday had contemplated breaking away and forming a separate unit after reports of Kejriwal’s apology to the former Akali minister for accusing him of running drug trade emerged, terming it a “meek surrender”, “painful” and “very unfortunate”.
A two-round marathon meeting was held on Friday by the AAP’s Punjab unit in Chandigarh in which a resolution on splitting from the Delhi unit and forming a separate unit was discussed, though the final decision on the same was deferred.
“Two to three resolutions were kept, which were discussed thoroughly. One among these was whether we should split from the Delhi unit and form a separate unit or should we continue like this. Consensus could not be built on this even though majority MLAs wanted to break away. The members said they were very angry with this apology while others felt that they wanted to ask Delhi leadership on apology issue. Therefore, the decision on this has been deferred for the time being,” senior AAP leader and Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu had said on Friday.
“A vast majority of the leaders
was of the view that why a separate unit of Punjab AAP should not be formed which will have alliance with Lok Insaf Party and also forge alliance with likeminded parties and can even go to the extent of having former Punjab unit convenor Sucha Singh Chhotepur on board...,” AAP MLA and leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly Sukhpal Singh Khaira had said.
In a further jolt, the Lok Insaf
Party (LIP), the AAP’s ally in the state, had also snapped ties with the party in the wake of Kejriwal’s apology.
› AAP Punjab should function as a regional party with an alliance with national AAP. In Punjab matters, total independence; and on national issues, go by national leadership. HS PHOOLKA, AAP MLA from Dakha former leader of opposition › Cong leaders donning turbans have never gone against their party on Bluestar, antiSikh riots... Is it easy to visit courts 24 times a month? If Kejriwal has tendered apology, it should not be a big issue. SAJJAN S CHEEMA, AAP candidate from Sultanpur Lodhi in 2017 polls