AAP leaders meet Punjab Assembly Speaker seeking Khaira's disqualification

AAP leaders met the Punjab Assembly Speaker Wednesday, seeking disqualification of Sukhpal Singh Khaira as an MLA days after the rebel legislator formed his own party. A delegation of AAP leaders, led by Leader of Opposition Harpal Cheema, met Speaker Rana K P Singh and submitted a letter, saying that Khaira had voluntarily given up the Aam Aadmi Party membership and started his own party. He had thus made himself liable for disqualification from the assembly under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.

Cheema wrote. "It is therefore requested to you that given above the mentioned facts and circumstances and following the spirit of the Constitution of India, the membership of Sukhpal Singh Khaira from the Punjab Assembly be terminated forthwith and he is stripped off all the rights and privileges with immediate effect," he said.

The Speaker told reporters action will be taken as per the rules. The Bholath MLA had quit the AAP on January 6, six months after he was ousted from the post of Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly. Following his removal from the post, Khaira and six other AAP MLAs in the state had rebelled. However, he had not resigned as MLA and had dared the AAP to get him disqualified. Earlier in the day, Baldev Singh, one of the AAP rebels, resigned from the party's primary membership.

(With inputs from agencies.)