NEW DELHI: Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan have reacted with predictable dismay to the news of the party suspending two of its Punjab Members of Parliament – H.S. Khalsa and Dharamvir Gandhi.
Yogendra Yadav told ANI, “All that matters to them (AAP leadership) is the Delhi Durbar. This suspension of two MPs shows the AAP leadership's fear of leaders who have the courage to speak the truth, their volunteers.”
Prashant Bhushan said, “Seems like there is no space for honesty in the AAP. Forget criticism, I think Kejriwal (Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal) can’t tolerate anyone talking about values.”
“The MPs who have been suspended are very honest. Maybe, that’s why they have been suspended,” he added.
Yadav and Bhushan’s comments came hours after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Political Affairs Committee (PAC) on Saturday suspended both of them for anti-party activities and informed that disciplinary proceedings would be taken against them by the party's National Disciplinary Action Committee. Both represent Punjab in Parliament.
The three-member National Disciplinary Action Committee, which includes Pankaj Gupta, Dilip Pandey and Deepak Bajpai, will look into the complaints of anti-party activities and indiscipline against Gandhi and Khalsa, the AAP said in a statement.
The PAC expressed its concern over anti-party activities indulged in by Gandhi and Khalsa. Both have been involved in the activities of certain outfits, opposed to the aims and objectives of the AAP.
The AAP said that there were several instances which showed that Gandhi and Khalsa were trying to establish a parallel organisation within the party with the sole objective of damaging the party in Punjab.
Both AAP MPs have joined hands with the BJP-SAD leaders in Punjab and have betrayed the faith of the common man, the party statement said.
Gandhi and Khalsa today organised a conference, parallel to that of the AAP, at Baba Bakala on Saturday on the occasion of Rakhar Puniya.
They used pictures of National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and party MPs Bhagwant Mann and Sadhu Singh to create confusion and help the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP.
They used party symbol and pictures of party leaders in the publicity material of their conference without due permission from the party.
Taking cognizance of their anti-party activities and indiscipline, the PAC decided to refer their case to the National Disciplinary Action Committee for suitable action against them.
The PAC also unanimously resolved to suspend them from the primary membership of the party.