Chandigarh: The dissident legislators of the Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab unit on Tuesday announced its eight-member ad hoc Political Affairs Committee (PAC) for the state. The PAC will monitor and supervise the reconstitution of the entire political structure of the state, including the appointment of the state president/convenor. 

Meanwhile, AAP leaders Balbir Singh and Harpal Singh Cheema termed Khaira’s decision to form PAC as autocractic, saying he never consulted the party volunteers on the move. Khaira, however, refuted the charge, saying said he got their approval during his convention in Bathinda last week.

The committee comprises of Bholath MLA and former leader of opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Kharar MLA Kanwar Sandhu, Mansa MLA Nazar Singh Mansahia, Maur MLA Jagdev Singh Kamalu, Jaiton MLA Master Baldev Singh, Bhadaur MLA Pirmal Singh Khalsa, Raikot MLA Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal and Garshankar MLA Jai Krishan Rodi.

Mansahia will be the member secretary of the ad hoc committee, which will also have a total of eight special invitees, Sandhu said. The eight include Gurpartap Singh Khushalpur (Gurdaspur), Daljit Singh Sadarpura (Dharamkot), N S Chahal, (Moga), Deepak Bansal (Bathinda), Paramjit Singh Sachdeva (Hoshiarpur), Pargat Singh Chaugawan (Amritsar rural), Suresh Sharma (Amritsar urban) and Karamjit Kaur (Mansa).

All the members and special invitees of the PAC will also be members of the proposed ad hoc state executive committee, Sandhu said. 

Meanwhile, AAP leaders Balbir Singh and Harpal Singh Cheema termed Khaira’s decision to form PAC as autocractic, saying he never consulted the party volunteers on the move. Khaira, however, refuted the charge, saying said he got their approval during his convention in Bathinda last week. He said more such decisions would be announced in the days to come. “Everybody understands what an approval means, and only agents of Delhi do not understand it. Earlier, there was no PAC and no collective decision in AAP. Only one man was calling the shots,” he said.

Punjab AAP co-president Balbir and newly-elected leader of opposition Cheema said Khaira was himself working in an autocratic manner, but was accusing the party’s central leadership of it. “Is the meaning of autocracy different in his case?” said Balbir. Claiming that the party was not concerned about Khaira’s camp poaching MLAs, Cheema said, “All would finally come together under the leadership of our convener, Arvind Kejriwal.”

Balbir said though no other AAP MLA would switch over to Khaira’s side, the party would not weaken if any such thing happened and Cheema would remain the leader of opposition. No MLA from Bathinda was present when Cheema and Balbir visited the town. Both claimed that MLAs Baljinder Kaur and Rupinder Kaur Ruby had gone to Chandigarh to attend a meeting in the assembly