Punjab AAP removes women wing head

Vice-president Amandeep given additional charge

Preeti Malhotra, who has been removed as president of AAP women wing, during a protest against her party leaders in Patiala on Sunday.

The Punjab AAP today removed Preeti Malhotra as its women wing president and gave an additional charge of the post to vice-president Amandeep Kaur.

The action was taken against Malhotra after she raised a banner of revolt and held a dharna against her own party and its senior leadership.

A senior party leader said Amandeep Kaur was appointed as the state AAP women wing president to honour her dedication to the party. “If Malhotra had grievances, she should have raised them within the party forum. The party discipline cannot be breached,” he said.

Malhotra has been protesting against the alleged lack of attention given to the party’s old activists. She has been holding a dharna along with hundreds of workers claiming that the “genuine workers working for the party for the past several years feel side-lined and harassed, while turncoats and Delhi leaders are being given priority”.

Malhotra, who had taken over as the state women AAP chief in January last year, claimed that the party was now “dominated by people who have come from other parties” or were imported from Delhi. She alleged that these defeated leaders from Delhi were damaging the party’s policy and vision.