AAP suspends Punjab MPs Dharamvira Gandhi, Harinder Khalsa

Tribune News Service

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Fatehgarh Sahib/New Delhi, August 29

The AAP on Saturday suspended party MPs from Punjab, Dharamvira Gandhi and Harinder Singh Khalsa from primary membership of the party and initiated disciplinary proceedings against them. Reacting to the expulsion, Khalsa, MP from Fatehgarh Sahib, said party chief Arvind Kejriwal has become egocentric and does not consider suggestions given by other party leaders. 

“I am not surprised. We had the apprehension that the party might take action against me and Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi as we had been working for the welfare of people of our constituencies,” he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) suspended the MPs and referred disciplinary proceedings against them to the National Disciplinary Action Committee, said party spokesperson Deepak Bajpai.

“In its meeting on Saturday, the PAC took cognizance of anti-party activities indulged in by Gandhi and Khalsa in Punjab. In a unanimous decision, the PAC suspended Khalsa and Gandhi from the party and referred their cases to the National Disciplinary Action Committee (NDAC),” Bajpai said, adding that all PAC members except Kumar Vishwas were present in the meeting.

“Now the three-member NDAC, with Pankaj Gupta, Dilip Pandey and me as its members, will look into the complaints of indiscipline and anti-party activities against Gandhi and Khalsa,” he added.

Bajpai charged Gandhi and Khalsa with involvement “in the activities of certain outfits, opposed to aims and objectives of the party”.

“The only aim of these outfits is to damage the party and anti-corruption movement in the country,” he said, adding that there are several instances that show that Gandhi and Khalsa were trying to establish a parallel organisation with the sole objective of damaging the party in Punjab.

Khalsa said they were surprised when they saw their pictures missing from the posters displayed at the AAP political conference organised at Baba Bakala to observe Rakhar Puniya today.

Only Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, Chhotepur and five to six unknown persons from Delhi figured on the posters, he said.

“I don’t know what type of inquilab party’s Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chottepur and in-charge of party affairs in the state Sanjay Singh want to bring in the state. The people of Punjab want change as they were fed up with the present political outfits, including the SAD-BJP combine and Congress. I will continue to work for the people of my constituency and the state,” he said.

Lashing out at Kejriwal, Khalsa said he was acting like a dictator. Political parties do not function as Kejriwal is trying to, he said, adding that the aspirations of people have to be kept in mind while framing policies.

Khalsa said Kejriwal was equating himself to former prime minister Indira Gandhi and trying to run the party without hearing the views of the partymen. In a democracy, parties do not function like this, he said. — With IANS inputs