7 AAP executive members quit party in Haryana

BALYAN IS FACING ALLEGATIONS OF STORAGE OF LIQUOR DURING DELHI ASSEMBLY POLLS. IT’S CONTRARY TO AAP’S PRINCIPLES TO APPOINT HIM AS PARTY’S HARYANA IN-CHARGE RAJIV GODARA, AAP chief spokesman, Haryana

CHANDIGARH: Protesting against what they termed as undemocratic functioning of the central leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), seven members of its Haryana state executive committee announced on Thursday to resign from the party.

Rajiv Godara, the chief spokesman of AAP in Haryana, who as accompanied by party’s Ambala Lok Sabha candidate SP Singh and Paramjit Singh, candidate from Karnal, told newspersons that they had submitted their resignations to Arvind Kejriwal and were waiting for response.

Asked about the reasons, Godara said the appointment of Naresh Balyan as the in charge of Haryana was one of the main reasons for them to resign. Besides two executive members — Godara and Paramjit — the others who quit the party include Ashawant, also the state convenor from Ambala, Ramjan Chaudhary from Mewat, Balbir Singh from Yamunanagar, Rupinder Kaur from Ambala and Prahlad Singh from Sirsa.On their next move, Godara said they had scheduled a meeting “swaraj sammelan” at Karnal on May 17 which would be addressed by leaders, including Yogendra Yadav, in which they would chalk out their future strategy.

Godara said they were against the appointment of Balyan as it was AAP which had been fighting against drugs and liquor in Haryana and Punjab. “It is an irony that while Balyan himself is facing charges of using liquor during in the Delhi assembly polls, Kejriwal has appointed him as the Haryana in charge,” he said.