Gandhi seeks transfer of his case to internal Lokpal of AAP

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 3

Patiala MP and suspended leader Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, while challenging the show-cause notice issued to him by the three-member national disciplinary action committee of the Aam Aadmi Party, has demanded that his case be transferred to the internal Lokpal of the party as per its constitution.

Talking to The Tribune at his residence, Dr Gandhi said he had no faith in the committee that issued the notice and if there was any internal democracy in the party, his demand should be accepted without any fuss.

Refusing to file a reply on charges levelled against him in the notice, he sent an email to Pankaj Gupta, chairman of the committee, claiming that the other two members of the committee — Deepak Bajpai and Dalip Pandey — had already declared him guilty by “making unsubstantiated and defamatory comments” against him in the media even before he was served the notice to explain his side of the story.

The committee had served the notice to Dr Gandhi on September 23 asking him to address three main issues. The first issue was that of holding a parallel rally to the one organised by the party’s state unit at Baka Bakala on the occasion of Rakhar Punya “in order to damage party’s prospects in the state and benefit the ruling SAD-BJP alliance”.

Secondly, a detailed report about his performance on issues related to Patiala parliamentary constituency as desired by the national convener was not filed.

Thirdly, he held a press conference in Delhi on March 29 to give a “false account” of what happened in the national council meeting and “targetted” the party leadership time and again. However, Dr Gandhi said he was a dedicated soldier of the party.

He said he would sue Pandey and Bajpai for levelling “false” allegations against him in media.