The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday suspended two of its Punjab MPs — Dharamvira Gandhi and Harinder Singh Khalsa — for what its internal disciplinary committee termed were “anti-party activities” with Assembly polls in that State to be held in a little over a year.
While Mr. Gandhi is close to expelled AAP ideologue Yogendra Yadav, who is currently at the helm of Swaraj Abhiyan which he founded with his colleague and co-ideologue Prashant Bhushan, Mr. Khalsa was reproted to have joined hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) combine.
The decision was taken at the AAP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meet held during the day in which Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal participated the phone from Haridwar. He was there visiting his sister on the occasion of Rakshabandhan.
The AAP had won four seats in Punjab during the Lok Sabha polls even as it had failed to open account anywhere else in the country — including Delhi. The two MPs were charged with “damaging the prospects” of AAP in Punjab and the case has now been referred to the three-member National Disciplinary Committee.
“Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Khalsa have joined hands with the corrupt BJP-SAD leaders in Punjab and have betrayed the faith of the common man...,” said a senior AAP leader.