Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira quits AAP, faces disqualification as MLA
Khaira, who is Bholath MLA, sent his resignation letter to AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Sunday resigned from the primary membership of the party, accusing it of totally deviating from the ideology and principles on which it was formed after the Anna Hazare movement.
Khaira, who is Bholath MLA, sent his resignation letter to AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. He will announce his new political party on Tuesday. “It will be a secular party with a Punjabi name,” he said. He is learnt to be contemplating to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, probably from Bathinda.
Also Read: Punjab AAP leader HS Phoolka quits party, says Arvind Kejriwal didn’t want him to go
Khaira, who has been at war with the AAP leadership, had rebelled against Kejriwal after he was removed from the position of leader of opposition in Punjab assembly in July 2018. Khaira, who has support of six of the 20 party legislators, was suspended from the party in November for “anti-party activities”.
In his resignation letter, Khaira accused Kejriwal of dictatorial attitude and hobnobbing with the Congress. “I was highly impressed by the emergence of AAP on the political spectrum of India, to cleanse the rampantly corrupt system. But after joining the party, I realised that the hierarchy of AAP was no different from the traditional centralised political parties,” he wrote.
Though he quit the AAP, Khaira has not resigned membership of the state assembly and stares at disqualification under the anti-defection law. Renowned constitutional expert Dr Subhash Kashyap said the law is very clear that if a member voluntarily gives up membership of a political party, he is subject to disqualification.
“Any member of the assembly can file a petition with the speaker in such a case seeking disqualification under the Tenth Schedule – known as the anti-defection law – of the Constitution. The speaker will then decide after giving the member an opportunity to be heard. This is irrespective of whether he joins any other party or not,” he told HT.
Khaira is the second senior legislator to resign from the AAP in four days. Dakha MLA Harvinder Singh Phoolka, who led the legal battles in the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases in Delhi, had also quit the party on Thursday.
Delhi deputy chief minister and in-charge of Punjab affairs Manish Sisodia said that Khaira’s resignation was expected and the party would be strengthened with his exit.
“He should now resign as MLA also. Khaira started revolting against the party ever since the post of LOP was given to a Dalit leader...he was trying to break the party. Which organisation can tolerate such behaviour?” he posted on Twitter.
Khaira has support of six other dissident AAP legislators, but they are still in the party. Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu, who was also suspended along with Khaira, said they would meet in a day or two to decide their strategy. Khaira said they (dissident MLAs) would continue to be in the AAP for now. “We do not want any byelections because of the huge debt the state carries,” he said.
