Deal with issues instead of sending emissaries to individuals: AAP rebel MLA Sukhpal Khaira

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rebel group led by Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Tuesday asked Delhi chief minister and national convener Arvind Kejriwal to address issues plaguing the party instead of sending his emissaries to individuals to placate them.

Khaira, while welcoming the reconciliation efforts started by the party to reach out to former leaders and rebels, said the AAP leadership needed to deal with issues such as autonomy, undue interference and neglect of leaders that were responsible for the present disaffection in the party instead of trying to divide the leaders by approaching them individually.

“If they agree to grant khudmukhtyari (functional autonomy) to Punjab leaders and agree to other resolutions passed at Bathinda, everything will be fine,” he said at a joint press conference with Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu.

Khaira and Sandhu were responding to the exercise started by the AAP state leaders on Kejriwal’s directions ahead of the 2019 parliamentary polls to reach out to leaders who had fallen out with the party or are disgruntled for one or the other reason.

While these emissaries have already met former state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur and Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi, there is a long list of sacked, suspended and dissident leaders.

Sandhu said the AAP leaders’ reconciliation efforts showed a realisation in the party that what it did was wrong.

“Kejriwal should say sorry to the people of Punjab for the way in which the party insulted some of its leaders and took action against them,” he said.

On being asked if the party leaders had reached out to them, Khaira said no MLA, emissary or any other party leaders had contacted them.

“They may have gone to Chhotepur and Gandhi, but no one has talked to us so far. We are not running away or going budge from our demand for autonomy. They should let the Punjab leadership decide the structure and who will be the leader of opposition in the state,” he said.

Though the party has been having group rivalries for a long time, the latest crisis was triggered by the revolt staged by eight of the 20 party MLAs after Khaira was unceremoniously removed from the post of leader of opposition seven weeks ago.

First Published: Sep 19, 2018 10:33 IST