The discord between AAP members which has been brewing for quite some time laid disrobed as the AAP leader, Manish Sisodia, who is second in line after party supremo, Arvind Kejriwal, took to Twitter to dress down Punjab AAP MLA Sukhpal Khaira, who today tendered his resignation from the primary membership of the party.
Sukhpal Singh Khaira is the second AAP member to quit the party within a week. His resignation came in days after Senior party leader, HS Phoolka quit the Aam Aadmi Party.
Sisodia while accepting the suspended MLAs resignation, said that Khaira should also, now resign from the MLAs post, which he won on Aam Aadmi party’s ticket. Sisodia saw his resignation as a boost to the party as according to him Khaira was trying to weaken the party by openly revolting against it.
AAP will keep working for poor and marginalised people. Those who have problem in this can leave the party.
Mr Khaira was trying to weaken party and was openly revolting against the party since then. He tried to break party. Which organization can tolerate such behaviour? 2/N
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) January 6, 2019
Khaira had resigned from the Aam Aadmi party due to the ‘dictatorial attitude’ of Arvind Kejriwal, which had “shattered the dreams of Indians and the Punjabis for a clean alternative to the decayed and rotten system.” In his resignation letter sent to AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal, Khaira wrote that the “party has totally deviated from the ideology and principles on which it was formed post-Anna Hazare movement.”
Stating that Kejriwal failed to understand the psyche of the Punjabis due to his ‘overconfidence’, Khaira said, “You only listened to the two “Subedars” you had appointed to run Punjab and never bothered about the sentiments of AAP volunteers on the ground.”
The unequivocal rift between the members of the Aam Aadmi party, which started when Kejriwal had to apologize to senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia for falsely accusing the latter of running a drug trade, kept magnifying.
Khaira who had then opposed to Kejriwal’s decision of apologising was subsequently removed from his post of Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly in July last year and replaced by Dirba legislator Harpal Singh Cheema.
Khaira had voiced his discontent over his sudden removal, saying, he was not for any designation, but the manner in which he was removed from the post was arbitrary and humiliating.
After his meeting with Sisodia, regarding his removal from the post of Leader of Opposition, did not yield any positive result, Khaira, along with other leaders organised a convention where seven AAP MLAs along with Khaira reportedly passed a resolution proclaiming the autonomy from the Delhi leadership.
The rebel leaders consisting of leaders like Kanwar Sandhu from Kharar, Nazar Singh Mansahia from Mansa, Kulwant Singh Mehal Kalan, Baldev Singh from Jaitu, Pirmal Singh from Bhadaur, Jagdev Singh Kamalu from Maur and Jagtar Singh Jagga from Raipur along with Khaira had then shown their resentment over Khaira’s removal calling it ‘undemocratic’ and had also raised concerns over Kejriwal and Sisodia ‘dictatorial attitude’ with which they were trying to control the state from Delhi.
Sukhpal Singh Khaira, MLA from Bhulath, was appointed as the leader of the opposition after HS Phoolka resigned from the post as he has decided to step away sighting conflict of interest, to fight the cases relating 1984 Anti-Sikh riots in the Supreme Court.
Recently, AAP leader HS Phoolka, who was against the formation of an alliance with Congress also resigned from the party. Years after AAP founding members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav were kicked out of the party, in August last year, AAP senior leader Ashutosh and Ashish Khetan had also quit the party.
