The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday asked Sangrur Member of Parliament (MP) Bhagwant Mann and Leader of Opposition party Sukhpal Khaira to resign from the primary membership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as well as from the Parliament and state Assembly.
In a statement issued on Friday, the former minister and party spokesperson Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal had stated that he had made unfounded allegations against former minister Bikram Majithia and apologised for the same.
“If both Mann and Khaira feel differently now and are truly not with the AAP convener they should resign from parliament and the state Assembly immediately because they got votes in the name of Kejriwal.”
Speaking about Bhagwant Mann’s resignation as AAP Punjab unit president, the Akali leader asked him not to indulge in drama-politics.
“You must tell Punjabis why you did not respect the findings of a court which called Khaira the king pin of a cross border drug smuggling racket which also involved arms smuggling. Why didn’t this prick your conscience?” Dr Cheema asked.
Speaking about Bhagwant Mann’s own track record, the Akali leader said the Sangrur MP had lost the Assembly elections from Jalalabad. “Subsequently, his position and authority in the party has been so severely eroded that his resignation is immaterial,” he said.
Mentioning Sukhpal Khaira, the Akali leader said the AAP leader was sticking to his chair and not even offering to resign as Leader of Opposition party. He said Sukhpal Khaira’s double speak had been exposed today.
“Khaira seems to have forgotten that he is an accused in an international drug racket and that the court has made him an accused, not any political party or personality. Khaira’s co-accused have already been awarded twenty year prison sentences. In such a situation Khaira does not even have the moral right to talk about drugs let alone try to wriggle free by using his connections with recently appointed Commissions.
The SAD leader claimed the time had come for Khaira to show he had the moral courage to resign as leader of opposition party as well as the assembly and contest elections again. This would be a ready test of his stand as well as his popularity.