BATHINDA: Ousted leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, has accused the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of hatching a conspirqacy to scuttle the AAP volunteers’ convention scheduled to be held in Bathinda on Thursday.The Bholath MLA said on Wednesday that both parties, worried over the response the event would generate, had conspired with some leaders of his party to sabotage the programme. “Despite this, the morale of AAP volunteers and leaders is high. The convention is going to attract a large crowd,” he said.Speaking to newspersons at the venue, Khaira said they faced trouble in even booking a larger venue for the event. “We had already paid for the new venue, the stadium of Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant, but the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) declined to give us the venue. They relented only when we threatened to hold a dharna instead of the rally,” he said.He said Congress had been accusing him of being an Akali agent, while those in the SAD called him an agent of the Congress. “My party men are accusing me of being an RSS agent and of taking Rs 500 crore to break up the party. They even say I am holding talks with SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia . All this is rubbish and blatant lies,” he said.He said Congress and SAD did not want any third front to gain importance in Punjab and they could not tolerate AAP’s popularity. “These parties are using manipulative and coercive measures, while AAP leadership is using vicious and intimidating measures in scaring away leaders and volunteers who want to attend the convention. We are not concerned about numbers or how many leaders or MLAs attend it, but we want a large number of volunteers to take part,” he said.Khaira said many MLAs were in constant touch with him, but they might not attend the convention due to fear that AAP’s central leadership.Tent pitched | Preparations for the convention were in full swing on Wednesday. A tent had already been erected at the venue. Leaders in the Khaira camp are expecting nearly 10,000 persons to attend the convention. Of the total 20 AAP MLAs, seven are expected to attend the event, said sources.Party releases list | Later in the evening, AAP released a list of the non-resident Indians (NRIs) who said the proposed convention was against party norms. They issued an appeal to AAP volunteers not to attend the event.The new leader of opposition in Punjab assembly, Harpal Singh Cheema, termed the volunteers convention called by his predecessor, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, as an event sponsored by the SAD, BJP, RSS and Bains brothers of the Lok Insaf Party (LIP). “It has nothing to do with AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia and other senior leaders,” he said. Cheema said the use of photographs and names of national leaders, MPs and MLAs was illegitimate. He termed the convention as an anti-Dalit event.

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