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This is an archive article published on September 8, 2015
Stunned, speechless, say AAP trio named in Mann audio leak
In the audio tape, a voice allegedly that of Mann is heard calling the trio as ‘part of one group’ trying to ‘rule and run the AAP Punjab unit.
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THE three AAP leaders — senior advocate H S Phoolka, party convenor Sucha Singh Chhottepur and Fatehgarh Sahib MP Harinder Singh Khalsa — who figure in the alleged audio leak, purportedly of a conversation between party MPs Bhagwant Mann and Dharamvira Gandhi, told The Indian Express on Monday that they were “stunned” and “speechless” by Mann’s opinion of them.
“I heard the clip but I think Mann is misinformed that I, Khalsa and Chhottepur are one group. I didn’t know that he had hard feelings for me. I always considered AAP’s Punjab team to be my colleagues. It is okay if he has such views but I was never part of any group. The way Khalsa is my friend, so is Mann. There is a difference between public and private conversation and this is his private matter,” H S Phoolka said. He had on Sunday told this paper that the ‘current infighting in AAP’ was nothing but a family feud. Phoolka, however, refused to comment on whether the party should now take action against Mann like it has taken against two of its MPs. “It’s a private talk with a colleague. In politics, this kind of alignment within party is common. Not any serious matter (sic),” he had tweeted earlier.
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In the audio tape, a voice allegedly that of Mann is heard calling the trio as ‘part of one group’ trying to ‘rule and run the AAP Punjab unit’ on their ‘own terms’. Mann goes on to say that ‘their dictatorship’ and efforts to get tickets for their own people in assembly polls of 2017 ‘will not be tolerated’.
He also questions the ‘dictatorship’ of party leaders from Delhi including Arvind Kejriwal and says that ‘people from outside will not be tolerated and they need autonomy to form their own team in Punjab.’
Fatehgarh Sahib MP Harinder Singh Khalsa, however, slammed Mann calling him a ‘hypocrite’ and accused him of being ‘two-faced’. “AAP needs spineless people, who are hypocrites and two-faced. We openly said we need autonomy to form our own team in Punjab and Mann gossips about it. Now will Kejriwal and his disciplinary committee take action against Mann? He is speaking against me, Phoolka and state convenor Chhottepur. We are not puppets who need people from Delhi to rule us but Kejriwal needs ‘yes-men’ like Mann who talk behind the back. I respect Phoolka but it wrong to say that we were a group,” Khalsa said.
On his part, state convenor Sucha Singh Chhottepur said ‘he is hurt and speechless’ after hearing Mann’s view of him. “Maybe the tape is edited or morphed. I talked to Sanjay Singh and he has his doubts over its authenticity but whatever Mann has said is wrong. We are not a trio and I have always believed in an united Punjab team,” he said. On action against Mann, he said, “It is not in my hands. High ups in Delhi will see to that. I am speechless”.
On his Facebook account, however, Chhottepur blamed political opponents for the ‘edited’ clip: “Beware of such opportunist parties. Punjab de log AAP de naal han. We all are united (sic)”.
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