Three Aam Aadmi Party rebels Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Jagdev Singh Kamalu and Pirmal Singh Dhaula joined Punjab Congress unit in Chandigarh and was welcomed by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh just before he off for Delhi.
This comes at a time when Punjab Congress is embroiled in internal turmoil with several MLAs including party leader Navjot Singh Sidhu voicing dissent against Amarinder Singh.
Capt Amarinder said that the induction of the three leaders has been approved by Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “Since the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Punjab, Harish Rawat, and state unit chief Sunil Jakhar are busy in the consultation process with the three-member committee in Delhi, their blessings will be sought in a few days.” he added.
After quitting the Congress, Khaira had joined the AAP in December 2015. He was elected from the Bholath assembly seat in 2017 on an AAP ticket. However, in 2019 he left AAP too and formed his own Punjabi Ekta Party
Amarinder Singh is currently in Delhi after his government’s failures have sparked widespread dissidence among the party ranks. A three-member panel is set up by the Congress high command to listen to the grievances of dissident MLAs and ministers who have been raising questions over Singh’s handling of the sacrilege and police firing cases of 2015. They have even said that it will difficult for the party to come back under Amarinder Singh’s leadership.
