Supporters of Khaira, Mann raise slogans against each other

Some members of the Aam Aadmi Party owing allegiance to Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann today shouted slogans against the rebel group leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira in a meeting.

The incident took place when Khaira was holding a meeting of party workers at Sangrur district as part of the preparation of forthcoming convention in the district.

"A few supporters of Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann tried to disturb the workers' meeting," Khaira claimed.

While Mann's supporters shouted slogans against Khaira outside the meeting venue, the supporters of ousted Leader of Opposition also raised slogans against Mann.

The situation was later calmed down by the police, which was present at the meeting venue.

Workers supporting Mann claimed that during the meeting, they were initially not allowed to speak.

"When I started speaking in the meeting, they raised objection to (AAP national convener) Arvind Kejriwal's praise. I told the gathering that all the 20 MLAs should work at the ground level the way Kejriwal was doing. The mic was snatched from us and we were thrown out of the meeting," said one of the supporters of Mann.

The Punjab unit of the AAP went into a crisis after Khaira was removed recently from the post of Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly.

The crisis in the party further aggravated when the ad-hoc Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of dissident MLAs appointed Khaira as an interim president of the Punjab unit.

The infighting between two factions was also witnessed in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha during the recent Monsoon Session.

AAP's dissident MLAs led by Khaira had declared the party's Punjab unit "autonomous" and "dissolved" its current organisational structure during volunteers convention in Bathinda on August 2.

Khaira group now has eight legislators on its side. Apart from Khaira, others are Kanwar Sandhu (Kharar), Primal Singh (Bhadaur), Jagdev Singh Kamalu (Maur), Nazar Singh Manshahia (Mansa), Master Baldev (Jaitu) and Jagtar Singh Jagga (Raikot).