Khaira's resignation political drama, he must resign from Assembly and re-contest: Mann

AAP leader Bhagwant Mann has dubbed the resignation of Sukhpal Singh Khaira from the party's primary membership a "political drama", saying he must resign as an MLA and seek re-election to test his popularity.

Khaira, the rebel AAP MLA from Punjab, resigned from primary membership of the party on Sunday, alleging that it had "totally deviated" from the ideology and principles on which it was formed.

The 53-year-old former Congressman who had joined the Aam Aadmi Party in December 2015 -- nearly a year before the last Punjab assembly polls -- sent his resignation to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.

Asked to comment on the development, Mann told reporters, "Khaira's resignation is just a political drama. If he wants to test his popularity, he must resign from the Vidhan Sabha and seek re-election from Bholath."
Mann said, "Khaira has always worked on the principle of 'self' but that is not acceptable in any organisation. He has always raised questions over party decisions, be it appointing H S Phoolka as the Leader of Opposition (earlier) or me as the president of the party's Punjab unit. His fight is only for grabbing power and nothing more."
Leader of Opposition Harpal Cheema, who was appointed in Khaira's place in July last year, also took a dig at the Bolath MLA, alleging that he tried to "weaken the party."
AAP MLA from Sunam, Aman Arora said, "Khaira is an example of opportunism in politics and he has never been a team player."