Photo by Rakesh Shah
Says he needs no certificate from Khaira-Sandhu for his love for Punjab, Punjabiyat
Khaira never demanded autonomy while in Congress for 25 years: Bhagwant Mann
Chandigarh, August 7, 2018:
Within hours of Sukhpal Khaira-led rebel AAP, Punjab group announcing a separate Political Affairs Committee, the senior party and Member of Parliament from Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday accused Khaira and journalist-turned politician Kanwar Sandhu of breaking the party in Punjab.
Mann asked Khaira to resign as AAP MLA and stop representing the party publicly if he was unable to obey the party discipline. He also accused Khaira-Sandhu duo of misguiding the innocent volunteers in the name of Punjabiyat.
Addressing the media along with party MLA Meet Hayer, youth wing president Manjinder Singh Sidhu and state general secretary Narinder Singh Shergill, the Sangrur MP said that he need not explain his love and dedication for Punjab and Punjabiyat to Khaira and Sandhu.
Countering the allegations of Khaira-Sandhu, Mann said that he always stood by the people of Punjab but why Khaira-Sandhu’s love for Punjab rose just after the change of Leader of Opposition by the party and the state government withdrawing facilities given to Khaira.
Terming their outbursts against the AAP leadership as a manifestation of their power-hungry nature, Mann alleged that Khaira has dictatorial mindset. “Khaira is behaving like Prime Minister Narendra Modi who tags everyone anti-national who so ever goes against his will,” alleged Mann.
Takinga dig at Khaira’s demand for autonomy for the state unit, Mann wanted to know whether Khaira ever demanded autonomy from Sonia Gandhi when he was part of the Punjab Congress. Khaira remained in Congress for 25 years but never uttered a single word against the party that always worked against Punjab and Punjabis, demolished Sri Darbar Sahib and snatched waters of state, he added.
Mann said that Khaira-Sandhu even mocked his illness did not wait till he get discharged from hospital. He said Khaira must now be ready to face the heat from people of Bholath who elected him to raise their voice but he always focused on settling his personal scores with political opponents.
Photo by Rakesh Shah
He asked are 2.75 Crores people of state are traitors as Khaira said from the stage that people who did not attend Bathinda Convention are anti-Punjab. He also cautioned the MLAs and volunteers supporting Khaira and Sandhu that they are shrewd people and will cash them for their personal purposes. He announced to meet MLAs and convince them to come back to party fold.
Replying on the question of taking back his resignation as state chief, Mann said that he will talk to the party high command on the issue and work hard to strengthen the party for 2019 elections.
Rejecting Khaira-Sandhu announcement to reconstitute the organization in state, Mann said that the lakhs of AAP volunteers worked hard to build the party and they have no right to demolish it.
He warned that the party will take legal action in case Khiara-Sandhu continue to violate party guidelines. He asked in which capacity son of Khaira addressed the Bathinda Convention if it was a workers’s convention.
Accusing Kanwar Sandhu of looting the rights of volunteers to get ticket from Kharar Vidhan Sabha constituency, Mann asked why not he stood for the rights of volunteers at that time. He said that he would never let the opportunists grab the party for their personal purposes.
Flaying Khaira-Sandhu of being opportunists, MLA Meet Hayer said that Sandhu even tried hard to get the LoP seat for himself but failing in that he started leveling baseless allegations against the party. He alleged that Sandhu claimed to tame Sukhpal Khaira in case party appoints him LOP in Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
