CHANDIGARH: Trouble for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) does not seem to end in Punjab and it’s raining
controversies one after the other.
After 16 party leaders including some district presidents resigned from their posts recently, yesterday a video had gone viral on Facebook in which leader of the opposition and senior party leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira alleged he is the victim of internal party conspiracy, backstabbing and character assassination.
In a video on Facebook, Khaira lambasted the state co-president Balbir Singh for accusing him of taking cash (packets) from party workers in Patiala recently. "A few days back I had gone to Punjabi
University in Patiala and after that went to a house to have tea where around 80 off workers and supporters of AAP were there. Now three days back a few party leaders and workers from Shatrana went to meet Balbir Singh for some work and their Balbir told them that Khaira had taken money from party workers in Patiala to which one party worker objected and told him that he was present there and nothing of this sport happened. A marriage card was given to Khaira by a party leader for his sisterr’s marriage,’’ said Khaira.
He added, "He (Balbir) should retract his allegations and tender an apology to me or get an impartial inquiry done into these allegations.’’
Khaira alleged a conspiracy in the party for his removal from the post. He said he had informed Manish Sisodia about the matter who promised him to get it investigated. "Till date never ever SAD or
Congress leaders accused him to taking money which his own party leader has done now,’’ he said.
Khaira alleged that there is a deep-rooted conspiracy within the party to create a rift between him AAP National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Deputy Manish Sisodia, who
is in-charge of party affairs in Punjab to get him removed from the post of leader of opposition in the state assembly.
Terming these allegations baseless and bogus Punjab co-president of AAP Dr Balbir Singh said, "I have high regard for him (Khaira). Nothing of this sort happened. The person who is being quoted has made
an utterly baseless claim. I don’t know that person,” he said.
He accused Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal of trying to create a rift in the AAP.
Around 16 party leaders, including some district presidents of the party had resigned on July 15 from their posts, accusing Dr Balbir Singh of changing officer-bearers arbitrarily. In their joint
resignation to Manish Sisodia, they had blamed Balbir’s wrong decisions for the party’s plummeting graph.
Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar has demanded the resignation of Sukhpal Singh Khaira as Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the wake of the serious allegations of corruption levied by his own party
colleagues.
He said that given the gravity of the charges against Khaira, he should quit on moral grounds, failing which he should be sacked by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership. The Congress president cited the
reported allegations made by Punjab AAP co-president Balbir Singh, purportedly to some AAP workers, that Khaira takes cash from party workers.
Describing the charges as shocking, he said the AAP leader had lost all moral right to continue in the responsible position of LoP.