Referendum row: Sukhpal Khaira ignored my calls, says Balbir Singh

Jupinderjit Singh 
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 18

Fissures within the Punjab Aam Aadmi Party appears to have widened, as Aam Aadmi Party state co-convenor Dr Balbir Singh and Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Khaira have locked horns once again after their opposing views on the state unit’s autonomy.

A day after Khaira claimed no party leader tried to take his clarification on his reported statements on Sikh Referendum 2020, Dr Balbir Singh took to Twitter to claim Khaira didn’t take any of his five calls on Sunday, instead choosing to go straight to the press.

Khaira said in Jalandhar on Sunday that he was pained by his party leaders’ statements against him. Among those leaders was Balbir Singh, who said AAP didn’t support any such movement and that he would seek action against Khaira. 

Khaira found himself in the middle of controversy over his statements—retracted later—that he supported Sikh Referendum 2020 that called for a separate homeland for Sikhs. Khaira clarified that he had justified the Sikh struggle for justice, but always stood for a united India.