AAP dissidents' panel appoints Khaira as interim chief of Punjab unit

A day after AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal visited Punjab, the ad hoc Political Affairs Committee (PAC) formed by the party's dissident MLAs today appointed their leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira as the Punjab unit's interim president.

The committee was constituted early this month and comprises eight of the 20 MLAs in the state upset over the national leadership's decision to sack Khaira as the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly.

The position of the AAP state unit chief has been vacant since Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann resigned from the post in March to protest Kejriwal's apology to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a defamation case.

"Today the ad hoc PAC unanimously decided to appoint Sukhpal Khaira as the interim chief of the Punjab unit of AAP," party MLA Kanwar Sandhu said.

MLA Nazar Singh Manshahia had proposed Khaira's name, he added.

However, Khaira's appointment will have to ratified by volunteers in a forthcoming convention.

The PAC's decision comes at a time when the AAP has initiated talks through Sunam legislator Aman Arora to end the infighting in the party's state unit.

Yesterday, Kejriwal had said the party's attempt was to reach out to all those who hold grudges and if need be, he will talk to the dissidents.

Khaira's appointment as the interim chief is likely to further deepen the crisis in the party.

Sandhu said they were ready to hold dialogue to resolve the infighting. But, he said, the talks should be based on the resolutions passed at a volunteers' convention in Bathinda.

At the convention, held on August 2, the rebel MLAs had passed a resolution declaring the party's Punjab unit "autonomous" and "dissolved" its current organisational structure.

AAP MLA and current Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Harpal Singh Cheema rejected Khaira's appointment and dubbed it an "anti-party" activity.

"It is certainly an anti-party activity and we will bring this issue to the notice of the party leadership in Delhi," he said.