Congress, AAP skip all-party meet by Punjab AAP rebel leader

CHANDIGARH:An all-party meeting called by dissident Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Friday to discuss sacrilege incidents turned out to be a damp squib with the Congress and the Shiromani Aakali Dal (SAD) choosing to stay away.nnHowever, an unperturbed Khaira announced that a ‘resentment march’ would be taken out from Kotkapura to Bargari on October 7 to protest against the killing of two men in after police opened fire at people protesting against sacrilege incidents back in 2015.nnThe Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema along with his flock of 13 MLAs too skipped the meeting though Khaira claimed that an invitation was given to everyone.nnKhaira said that “like-minded people” including AAPs suspended MP from Patiala Dharamvira Gandhi, MLAs Simarjeet and Balwinder Bains and Mohakam Singh of United Akali Dal among others attended the meeting and discussed “threadbare” the issue of sacrilege in the wake of Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report.nnHe said that the meeting decided to soon set up an 11-member action committee which will later announce phase wise programmes across the state.nnGandhi said that those present in the meeting demanded that an FIR should be registered against former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal after the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report “indicted” the senior Badal for police firing on protesters.nnHe said the members also felt that both the Badals should be arrested immediately and that the various Sikh institutions and bodies should be freed from “political interference”.nnAsked in what capacity did he hold the meeting, Khaira retorted: “Shall I seek permission first from Cheema or AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal to call a meeting on issue of sacrilege?”.nn”If Kejriwal wants to take any action against me he is welcome to do so,” he said.nnHe further flayed Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for allegedly failing to take action against the police officers named as accused in the report.nnMeanwhile, SAD senior vice president Daljit Singh Cheema said that the all-party meeting called by Khaira to seek support for the report submitted by his brother-in-law Justice (retd) Ranjit Singh turned out to be a mere fiasco as it was neither well attended nor all party.nnHe dubbed it “half party meeting” because even all the legislators and leading lights of the AAP preferred to abstain.nnKhaira failed to attract even his former comrades from AAP though he was keen to ensure presence of all the political parties and farmers outfits too, he said.nnThe presence of Gandhi, Singh or Bains brothers proved that the meeting was a conglomeration of the rejected, dejected, frustrated and outdated rootless leaders, he said.nnSource: Press Trust of India