In an act of rebellion, a group of AAP legislators led by Sukhpal Singh Khaira today declared the party's Punjab unit autonomous and dissolved its current organisational structure.
But even while adopting this resolution at a public meeting here, Khaira gave a week's time to the leadership in Delhi to review its decision to remove him from the post of Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly.
Altogether, eight of the 20 AAP MLAs in Punjab took part in the volunteers' convention called here by the Bolath legislator after his removal from the post.
The AAP leadership had summoned all Punjab MLAs to Delhi today to indicate that they were not with Khaira's "anti-party" move. At least 11 of them came to meet the leaders in the capital.
"The Dalit card is a political gimmick to remove me", Khaira said at the convention, referring to Dalit leader Harpal Singh Cheema appointment in his place.
The convention unanimously resolved that the party's Punjab unit was autonomous, and will take its own decisions.
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It dissolved the current organisational structure in the state and tasked the dissident MLAs and the convention organisers to frame a new one.
One of the resolutions said the existing organisational structure had eroded the AAP's image and its base in the state.
The convention flayed Khaira's removal as Leader of Opposition in an "undemocratic way" and rejected Cheema's appointment.
Launching a veiled attack on top leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia from the stage he shared with the seven other dissident MLAs, Khaira said, "Punjab cannot be run by remote control."
Khaira proposed forging a third front of like-minded parties to rid Punjab of the Congress and the Akali Dal as they had "ruined the state."