Disgruntled AAP leaders in Punjab leave party, form new Front

Jalandhar: Disgruntled leaders and workers of Aam Aadmi Party's Punjab unit on Sunday announced quitting the outfit citing "unhappiness" over its way of functioning and have alleged that the party has "deviated" from its original ideals.

The aggrieved leaders declared the formation of a new front called 'Aam Aadmi Party Volunteers Front' at a meeting here.

Suspended AAP MPs, Dharamvira Gandhi and Harinder Singh Khalsa, have also lent their support to the new outfit.

"We oppose the way AAP has been functioning and have decided to quit the outfit and form 'Aam Aadmi Party Volunteers Front'. It would follow the ideals that AAP had framed initially," the leaders said here.

Pranab Rai, who was reportedly expelled from AAP a few days back, said, "Aam Aadmi Party has deviated from its ideals. The disappointed party volunteers have decided to form the new front to promote those ideals among the people."

"This Front has no chief. An 11-member coordination committee has been formed which would look after its working. Also separate panels would be set up for different districts of Punjab," Rai said.

"The most important thing is that, suspended AAP MPs - Dharamvira Gandhi and Harinder Singh Khalsa - have lent their support to the new front," he said.

To a question whether the new Front would be a political outfit, he said, "We cannot say that the Front won't be political in nature as its main aim would be to present issues of the common people on political stage."

"Only future would tell whether 'Aam Aadmi Party Volunteers Front' would contest an election. As of now its main aim is to work according to the ideals from which AAP has deviated," Rai, who is a member of the coordination committee of the new Front, said.

He also said that AAP's representatives from Himachal Pradesh also took part in the meeting and decided to form another unit of the Front in that state.

Asked whether he got any letter from AAP about his reported expulsion from the party, Roy said that it is an irrelevant matter since he along with many other leaders have declared to quit the outfit.