JALANDHAR: Toughening its stance against dissenters in the Punjab unit, Aam Aadmi Party has thrown out one of its candidates of the 2014 parliamentary elections and has placed another under suspension. Both are members of the state organizing committee.
While Jyoti Mann, who contested from Jalandhar, has been expelled from the party, Bhai Baldeep Singh, who was fielded Khadoor Sahib, has been suspended from the party membership and a show-cause notice has been served on him seeking explanation about his alleged anti-party activities within three days.
Both actions have been taken by the disciplinary committee of the party led by Dr Daljit Singh. It is learnt that Mann was placed under suspension on March 29 after her posts on her Facebook page in which she had minced no words in criticizing party AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal and action against Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, and declared her allegiance to Yadav. Party has earlier suspended its former spokesperson professor Manjit Singh for speaking against the party leadership and its decisions.
The expulsion letter mailed to Jyoti said that in place of sending an explanation for her activities, she amounted to more indiscipline due to which she was being expelled from the party and has been asked to refrained from representing the party at any forum.
After the AAP national council meeting, in which Yadav and Bhushan were removed from the national executive, Mann had written on her FB wall, “Kejriwal aur Chokrri ne aaj jo Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan ke sath kia yeh unki sochi samajhi sajish hai (Whatever Kejriwal and company have done to Yadav and Bhushan was a well-planned conspiracy).”
However, Bhai Baldeep’s dissension was more nuanced which he has been articulating on his Facebook and also raised question on the decisions about Yadav and Bhushan on national television. He has been asked to explain his comments and actions. On Friday, while questioning professor Manjit’s suspension from the party, Bhai Baldeep said, “I wonder at whose behest all norms seem to have been bypassed.”
When asked, Bhai Baldeep said he would respond to the notice within the stipulated time. However, on his Facebook page, he was satirical in his comment saying, “As Anna Hazare once said – “Going to jail is like wearing a badge of honour.”