We are not going to break AAP: Khaira

Chandigarh : AAP leader and former leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira said on Monday that his group was not trying to break the party unit in Punjab and was only trying to ensure that decisions related to the state are taken by Punjab leaders.

Khaira said that misinformation was being spread that he and other AAP legislators with him were trying to split the Punjab unit of the Aaam Aadmi Party (AAP).

"We are not trying to break the party. We are very much part of the party. Decisions regarding Punjab should be taken by Punjab leaders and not imposed by the AAP central leadership. We are only opposed to some wrong decisions, pertaining to Punjab, taken by the AAP central leaders," Khaira said.

Similar views were echoed by senior AAP legislator Kanwar Sandhu.

Sandhu said that their camp wanted a probe into allegations that some AAP leaders from Delhi had taken money for giving the party ticket to contest the assembly elections in Punjab in February last year.

The Khaira camp, which had organized an AAP volunteer convention in Bathinda last week despite the event being termed as 'anti-arty activity' by the AAP central leadership, got the support of another AAP legislator, Jai Singh Rori, on Monday.

Rori told media that AAP leader Durgesh Pathak and others were trying to prevent legislators from joining the Khaira camp.

AAP Punjab co-President Balbir Singh said last week that party legislators and leaders who attended the convention in Bathinda are "misguided". He said the convention under the AAP banner without consulting state and central leadership was "illegal".

Khaira and six other AAP lawmakers had attended the convention, which adopted several resolutions. Led by Khaira, who organised the convention days after he was removed as the leader of Opposition, the AAP rebels passed resolutions which gave 'autonomy' to the AAP's Punjab unit, dissolved the organisational structure of the state unit and rejected the unceremonious removal of Khaira.

The AAP central leadership had picked up Dalit leader Harpal Singh Cheema as leader of the Opposition after Khaira's removal.

Eleven out of the 20 AAP legislators in the Punjab Assembly visited Delhi on Thursday and had a breakfast meeting with AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

AAP became the main opposition in Punjab Assembly after the elections in March last year, winning 20 seats in the 117-member House.