At the meeting of the AAP workers in support of Khaira in Ludhiana. (Express photo by Gurmeet Singh)
Rebel AAP MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira Friday targeted the national leadership of the party, calling them “mischievous leaders” after Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) president, Simarjeet Singh Bains, alleged Khaira had been removed as Leader of Opposition (LoP) as part of a “deal between AAP Delhi leaders and the Congress.”
Bains claimed that Khaira’s removal was a “punishment” by AAP party leaders in Delhi for raising the issues of Punjab and doing his job well. “When we do the postmortem of the AAP decision, we realise that SAD, BJP and Congress wanted that somehow Khaira should be removed as LoP. They have been able to succeed in their efforts. But this decision was taken by AAP because the party is entering into a tie-up with Congress to fight the next general elections. Punjab Congress had asked the Congress President, Rahul Gandhi, that a tie-up with AAP for 2019 elections should be done only if AAP removed Khaira as LoP,” he said.
Bains said that he has got this information from “very reliable sources”. “If this is true then he has stabbed the people of Punjab in the back. Manish Sisodia should also clarify about this conspiracy,” he said in a tweet later in the day.
Responding to Bains’ message on social media, Khaira also responded saying that he was stunned to hear this “nefarious” conspiracy. “If true it exposes the mean character of our so-called national leaders who can sacrifice their own partymen for cheap political gains. God save this country from such mischievous leaders,” he said in his message.
When contacted by The Indian Express, Khaira said that following the revelation by Bains he had also made his own investigations and had learnt that there was some quid pro quo for his removal. AAP leadership in Punjab as well as Delhi has already come on record criticising the Bains brothers-Simarjeet Singh Bains and Balwinder Singh Bains-for speaking against AAP and Arvind Kejriwal. This was also a point of grouse against Khaira that while the Bains brothers did not leave any opportunity to attack AAP, he maintained close relations with them and that this was an anti-party activity. The issue also came up during the volunteers convention held in Bathinda on Thursday where Kharar MLA, Kanwar Sandhu, said that Manish Sisodia had accused Khaira of being hand in glove with the Bains brothers.
Khaira supporters target Mann, Sarvjit on social media
Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann and Jagroan MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke came under attack on Facebook and other social media platforms from Khaira supporters for not attending the Bathinda convention. Mann, who is hospitalised in New Delhi, wrote an emotional post on his Facebook page defending himself after being called “ghaddar” (traitor) by Khaira supporters. Mann recounted the work he has done for the party and the state, saying “Main Punjab da Ghaddar Haan” (I am Punjab’s traitor). However, more abuses were heaped at Mann in reply to his post accusing him of ditching Khaira and the other MLAs at Bathinda.