The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday expelled two local leaders - former district convener Kundan Gogia and Rajpreet Singh Aulakh - citing anti-party behavior by them.
A three-member disciplinary committee of the party, decided on their expulsion after Patiala member of Parliament(MP) Dr Dharamvira Gandhi informed senior leaders about Gogia and Aulakh's poor conduct during both Lok Sabha polls and Patiala Urban byelection.
The panel comprised Dr Daljeet Singh as chairman; Hardeep Singh Kingra and Gulshan Singh as members.
The rift in the party deepened following collective resentment among the party's workers and volunteers over Harjit Singh Adaltiwala's candidature in the Patiala bypoll.
Four days ago, the panel sent a show cause notice to both leaders, asking them to file their reply over their involvement in anti-party activities during the recent polls.
"In their reply, both leaders had confessed to protesting against the AAP during national convener Arvind Kejriwal's road show in Patiala on August 17. Besides, they also admitted going against the party in both the Lok Sabha and Patiala Urban polls," stated the AAP's press release.
Reacting to his dismissal, Aulakh said "Anybody who asks questions has no place in the party," he said.
Adding that they (Gogia and Aulakh) had only been informed about the decision through e-mails, he said, "We raised some questions against Dr Gandhi; we also wanted to meet Kejriwal about some questions, but he failed to meet us," he said.
He remarked that people had lost faith in the AAP as those who helped build the party and were responsible for its success in the Lok Sabha polls had been sidelined by its leaders.
Adding that they (Gogia and Aulakh) had only been informed about the decision through e-mails, he said, "We raised some questions against Dr Gandhi; we also wanted to meet Kejriwal about some questions, but he failed to meet us," he said.
He remarked that people had lost faith in the AAP as those who helped build the party and were responsible for its success in the Lok Sabha polls had been sidelined by its leaders.
Meanwhile, Gogia said they were going to meet Shanti Bhushan, one of the founding members of the party, to discuss their grievances as they were disillusioned with the party's management.
"From senior leaders to MPs, all of them are working in an autocratic manner and this is not acceptable. It has turned into 'Khas Aadmi Party' as volunteers have no place in it," said Gogia.