Earlier defections

JALANDHAR: Thirty office-bearers of AAP from different assembly segments and nearly 400 workers resigned en masse from the party on Saturday, alleging that supremo Arvind Kejriwal had hired a detective agency to spy on his own party leaders and that the party had violated its own constitution by not holding internal elections even after more than three years of its formation.Before announcing their resignations, the party rebels first met in Jalandhar on Saturday and then made their decision public at a press conference at the Jalandhar Press Club. Led by former state IT cell in charge Himanshu Pathak, the party rebels released a 15-page document titled ‘Pol Khol’ with another 19 pages of references to back their allegations. “Those who toiled hard in Punjab, where the party won four seats (in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections), were sidelined. On the other hand, those who failed in their states in those polls were made bosses of Punjab,” Pathak said.Pathak was accompanied by AAP’s founder state executive member and treasurer R S Pandher, Barnala district founder convener Narinder Bitta, Jalandhar district unit founder member Kamal Sharma, and other leaders.Pathak targetted senior leaders Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak, asking them why were they not able to build the party and contest elections in their home state of Uttar Pradesh. “They had worked in Kejriwal’s parliamentary election, but he lost. Then, they were imposed on us,” he said.The rebels said they were hoping that the party would have replaced tainted candidates, but that was also not done. Pathak said he had brought all these issues to Kejriwal’s notice in an hour-long meeting but little was done.The rebels said AAP’s constitution submitted to the Election Commission of India required internal party elections after every three years and no ad-hoc appointments beyond that time. “So all appointments in the party, including that of state convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich ‘Ghuggi’, are illegal,” Pathak said. “Almost every provision of the constitution has been violated.”He said all decisions were being taken in the name of a political affairs committee, but its meetings were not called and only 2-3 persons would sit with Kejriwal to take decisions. “Let Kejriwal tell people if he held even a single meeting with all four MPs from Punjab together,” Himanshu said.Dec 31: Almost a month after expressing resentment over being denied AAP ticket from Jalandar Cantonment, former Indian hockey player Rajbir Kaur quit AAP and joined SAD in presence of deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, along with husband Gurmail SinghDec 17: After questioning AAP Punjab convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich ‘Ghuggi’s’ authority to expel him, national council member Naveen Jairath, who was one of the 300 founders of the political outfit, resigned from AAP.Dec 13: AAP national executive member and Hoshiarpur candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Yamini Gomar, resigned from the primary membership of the party.Sept 30: Nearly a month after AAP sacked him as its Punjab convener Sucha, Singh Chhotepur resigned from the party along with . A day later, he formed Aapna Party of Punjab along with several AAP volunteers, including seven zonal chiefs.