Former Cong MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira joins AAP

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 25

Former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira joined the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday, citing his disappointment in Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s recent appointments of Capt Amarinder Singh, Ambika Soni and Lal Singh to new positions in the party for leaving it.

A former MLA, Khaira accused Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi of forgetting to bring about the promised “generational change” by making the appointments, instead choosing three people who faced corruption charges.

He also claimed that he declined an offer to be made national spokesperson of the Congress on Thursday saying he would prefer to serve as a volunteer for an “honest party” like AAP to being even president of a “corrupt party”.

AAP parliamentarian Bhagwant Mann said leaders like Khaira would always be welcomed by the party.

AAP leader in charge of political affairs Sanjay Singh dismissed allegations that leaders in Delhi were controlling the party’s affairs in Punjab.

“No outsider will contest elections in Punjab,” he said.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi appointed Capt Amarinder Singh as Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief; Ambika Soni as chairperson of the party’s campaign committee and Lal Singh as senior vice-president last month.

Meanwhile, Lal Singh said he will sue Khaira for calling him corrupt. The Congress rubbishes the charges levelled by Khaira, Lal Singh said in a statement today, adding that his joining the AAP was a “good riddance” for the party.

“People like Khaira can never be happy and comfortable with any political party. He first joined the SAD, then the Congress and now he has joined the AAP. I will also be suing Khaira for levelling baseless charges against me, as the Supreme Court has already acquitted me.”

The SAD described Khehra’s joining the AAP as a “marriage of political frustration with political opportunism “

“It displays rank political opportunism of the AAP and utter frustration of Khehra.  On the one hand, it fully exposes the total political irrelevance and marginalisation of the Congress. On the other, it shows how hollow are the claims of the AAP on principled politics,” said SAD General Secretary and spokesperson Harcharan SIngh Bains in a statement.