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AAP suspends two Punjab MPs for anti-party activities

"The two MPs have been suspended and not sacked. This means they have to follow the party's whip in Lok Sabha," said a senior AAP leader.

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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had instructed the ousting of the two MPs
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Cracking the whip on dissidents, AAP on Saturday suspended two of its Punjab MPs -- Dharamvira Gandhi, who had supported expelled leader Yogendra Yadav, and Harinder Singh Khalsa -- for anti-party activities and alleged that they had joined hands with ruling BJP-SAD combine in the state. The decision was taken at the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) in which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal participated through phone from Haridwar. AAP had won four seats in Lok Sabha polls in Punjab while drawing a blank elsewhere in the country, including Delhi.

Dharamvira Gandhi was elected from Patiala LS seat while Khalsa won from Fatehgarh Sahib constituency. 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 comprising party's national secretary Pankaj Gupta, Delhi unit convener Dilip Pandey and spokesperson Deepak Bajpail, the AAP said. "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," the AAP said in its twitter handle. 

"The two MPs have been suspended and not sacked. This means they have to follow the party's whip in Lok Sabha," said a senior AAP leader and threatened that they will be liable for disqualification if they do not follow the whip. 

Sources said the party leadership was unhappy with the duo for holding a parallel conference at Baba Bakala near Amritsar today on the occasion of Rakhar Puniya (rakhi) festival. Two stalls were set up at the venue of the festival -- one by state convener Sucha Singh Chotepur and another by Gandhi and Khalsa. "They used pictures of National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and party MPs Bhagwant Mann and Sadhu Singh to create confusion and help Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP. "They used party symbol and pictures of party leaders in the publicity material of their conference without due permission from the party," the party said.

Full text of the resolution passed by the PAC

The PAC expresses its concern over anti-party activities indulged in by Mr. Dharamvira Gandhi and Mr. Harinder Singh Khalsa. Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Khalsa have been involved in the activities of certain outfits, opposed to aims and objectives of the party. The only aim of these outfits is to damage the Aam Aadmi Party and anti-corruption movement in the country.

There are several instances that show that Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Khalsa are trying to establish a parallel organization within the party with the sole objective of damaging the party in Punjab.  Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Khalsa have criticized the party leadership and the decisions taken by the party on several occasions in the media. Not only Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Khalsa used the press to express their disagreement with the party on various issues, they also openly disobeyed the party on several occasions and refused to follow party discipline.

The corrupt BJP-SAD regime in Punjab has made the state a hub of narcotics trade. Well-oiled state run corruption machinery has completely paralyzed the government apparatus. Fed up with two terms of misrule by the BJP-SAD combine, people of Punjab have decided to go with Aam Aadmi Party to bring Delhi model of corruption free governance to the state. 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.

With a clear intent of creating confusion among party volunteers and damaging the party, Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Khalsa today organized a conference, parallel to that of the Aam Aadmi Party, at Baba Bakala today on the occasion of Rakhar Puniya. They used pictures of National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and party MPs Bhagwant Mann and Sadhu Singh to create confusion and help Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP. They used party symbol and pictures of party leaders in the publicity material of their conference without due permission from the party.

Taking cognizance of their anti-party activities and indiscipline, the PAC has decided to refer their case to the National Disciplinary Action Committee for suitable action against them. The PAC also unanimously resolves to suspend Mr. Dharamvira Ghandhi and Mr. Harinder Singh Khala from the primary membership of the party.
The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Aam Aadmi Party today suspended Dharamavira Gandhi and Harinder Singh Khalsa from the primary membership of the party and referred disciplinary proceedings against them to party’s National Disciplinary Action Committee.

In its meeting on 29 August, 2015, the PAC took cognizance of anti-party activities indulged in by Dharamavira Gandhi and Harinder Singh Khalsa in Punjab. In a unanimous decision, the PAC suspended Khalsa and Gandhi from the party and referred their cases to the National Disciplinary Action Committee. Now the three-member National Disciplinary Action Committee, with Pankaj Gupta, Dilip Pandey and Deepak Bajpai as its members, will look into the complaints of anti-party activities and indiscipline against Dharamvira Gandhi and Harinder Singh Khalsa.

Gandhi is considered close to expelled AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan. "Taking cognizance of their anti-party activities and indiscipline, the PAC has decided to refer their case to the National Disciplinary Action Committee for suitable action against them. The PAC also unanimously resolves to suspend Mr. Dharamvira Ghandhi and Mr. Harinder Singh Khasla from the primary membership of the party," the party added.

Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi said to be close to Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav

Action against Dharamvira Gandhi was impending from sometime. When Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were removed from the AAP's National Executive at the controversial National Council meeting in March this year, the Patiala MP had walked out of the venue in protest, calling the decision "unconstitutional". Following this, Gandhi was even removed as party's parliamentary leader and replaced by Sangrur MP and Arvind Kejriwal aide Bhagwant Mann.

Gandhi had also extended his support to Swaraj Abhiyan, organisation founded by Bhushan and Yadav. Recently, he, along with Khalsa, had attacked Sanjay Singh, senior party leader and Kejriwal's close confidant, for appointing observers in all 13 constituencies without consulting the MPs

​AAP's ​Patiala MP Gandhi has said, "Punjab comes first, then comes the party. If our pride isnt respected and is tried to be controlled from Delhi we wont tolerate it. In the Lok Sabha election when the party drew a blank in its stronghold of Delhi, it won four seats in Punjab. The party is now working to wrest power from the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine in 2017 assembly polls. 

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