Dissident AAP MLAs to hold volunteers' conventions across Punjab

Intensifying their fight against the central leadership, dissident legislators of the AAP's Punjab unit today decided to hold volunteers' conventions across the state to "strengthen" the party.

A decision to this effect was taken at the first meeting of the ad hoc political affairs committee (PAC) here under the chairmanship of the sacked leader of opposition (LoP) Sukhpal Singh Khaira. The committee was constituted by the dissidents on Tuesday.

"We do not want to carry on with the politics of confrontation...we want to save Punjab and strengthen the party," Khaira said after the meeting.

A volunteers' convention will be held in Faridkot on August 22, followed by similar events in Gurdaspur and Moga on August 25 and and September 2 respectively, he added.

Days after being sacked as the LoP last month, Khaira convened the first volunteers' convention in Bathinda on August 2.

Resolutions passed at the convention declared the AAP's Punjab unit "autonomous" and dissolved the party's organisational structure in the state even as the high command disapproved of the event.

He said a volunteers' convention will also be held in the Garhshankar constituency.

Khaira also constituted a three-member review committee under the chairmanship of MLA Kanwar Sandhu to look into the party's performance in the 2017 Assembly polls.

The review committee will submit it's report in the next 45 days, he said.

Khaira said if the party high command decides to take any action against them, then it will be against the wishes of the AAP volunteers.

Besides Khaira, other AAP MLAs who took part in the meeting included Sandhu, Nazar Singh Mansahia, Jagdev Singh Kamalu, Master Baldev Singh, Jagdev Singh Hissowal, Pirmal Singh and Jai Krishan Singh Rori.

Yesterday, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal played down the infighting in the party's Punjab unit, calling it a family matter.

"Fights do take place among members of a family. It will be resolved," he had said.

The crisis began after Khaira was sacked as from the post of LoP in Punjab Assembly. The decision was opposed by his supporters and dubbed "undemocratic".