Faction-ridden AAP fights over 'seating order' in Punjab Assembly

The infighting in the AAP's Punjab unit escalated today with the rebel MLAs shifting to the back benches in the Assembly, blaming the other faction for getting the seating order changed.

The new Leader of Opposition, Harpal Singh Cheema, had allegedly asked the Vidhan Sabha secretariat to shift the seats of rebel MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Kanwar Sandhu from the first row.

But there is no official word from the secretariat that the seats have been changed.

Cheema had replaced Khaira as Leader of Opposition in the Assembly after a controversial decision by their Aam Aadmi Party.

The Khaira group had then revolted.

Khaira and seven other MLAs in his faction sat in the back row as the Monsoon session of the Assembly began today.

The Aam Aadmi Party has 20 MLAs in Punjab.

While Khaira accused Cheema of getting the seating order changed, the new Leader of Opposition said nothing like that had happened.

"I want to say that Sukhpal Khaira has been allotted a seat in the front, you can check yourself, Cheema told reporters.

Now where he chooses to sit, we have no control on this," he said.

But Khaira claimed, By changing the seating order, they have displayed their narrow thinking."