“Party is taking action. Whatever Sandeep Kumar has done is wrong. He has been suspended from the primary membership.
The matter has been sent to the disciplinary committee and whatever recommendations will come from it, the party will follow it. But, the PAC has suspended him from primary membership after discussing the issue this morning,” Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
Political Affairs Committee or PAC is the highest decision making body of the party.
In a sudden move on August 31, the 36-year-old minister was sacked from the council of ministers by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal after receiving the ‘objectionable’ CD in which he was purportedly shown in a compromising position with a woman.
“Received ‘objectionable’ CD of minister Sandeep Kr. AAP stands for propriety in public life. That can’t be compromised. Removing him from Cabinet wid immediate effect,” Kejriwal had tweeted.
Sisodia said the decision to suspend him was taken because “his behaviour was wrong” and violated the party’s principles.
“Sandeep Kumar’s action cannot be defended…. No such behaviour will be tolerated. I have said this on the very first day that in the matter of character, corruption and crime, no one will be spared. And, if tomorrow, even if it comes to me, then the same action will be taken against me as well,” he said.
Sources said that Kejriwal was consulted on the issue yesterday before he left for Vatican City to attend the canonisation of Mother Teresa.
In a video message, a day after Kumar’s sacking, Kejriwal had asserted that he would prefer to die or dissolve the party rather than compromise with AAP’s principles, adding, the same rule will apply to him and all other senior leaders.
Kejriwal said although the turn of events and the fact that “such people” were in the party “saddened” him, he takes “pride” from the fact that AAP did not attempt to “cover up” the transgressions.
On fellow party leader Ashutosh’s stand on the issue, the Deputy Chief Minister today said, “Ashutosh’s opinion could be his own, but the whole party is very clear on it.”
Ashutosh in a blog for NDTV had said the legislator’s “consensual act” was not wrong and his sacking from the cabinet was aimed at “perception management”.
In the blog, he had also said the row over Kumar’s “objectionable” video exposes the “hypocrisy of the society and hollowness of the media” and wondered why the seemingly obvious “consensual act” should create ripples in the media and politics.
After he was sacked from the ministry, Kumar had alleged that he was targeted under a conspiracy as he was a Dalit.
PTI