KHAR, April 5: The local chapter of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) split into two groups here on Thursday after hundreds of disgruntled workers resigned from the party and formed their own faction.

The members of the new faction, PPP-Ideological, said that they had been ignored in utilisation of development fund by the party MNA, Syed Akhunzada Chattan.

Briefing journalists after a meeting of the new faction, Habibur Rahman, the chief organiser of PPP-Ideological, said that serious differences had been prevailing among the leaders and workers of the party for the past several months on the issue of utilisation of development fund.

“As a result of these differences, hundreds of party workers resigned and formed a new faction with the name of PPP-Ideological,” he added. Mr Rahman said that the decision to form a new faction of the party was taken at a meeting, held in Khar.

Hundreds of PPP local leaders and senior workers participated in the meeting, he added.

He said that Mr Chattan was elected MNA with the support of party workers but he ignored them after winning elections. He never asked about problems of workers, he alleged.

The chief of the new PPP faction said that a 20-member committee was formed soon after Mr Chattan became MNA for judicious utilisation of development fund in the area. “But the MNA ignored the committee and never took its members into confidence,” he added.

He said that it was decided on the day first when Mr Chattan was elected MNA that all decisions would be made with the recommendation of local leaders and senior workers of the party.

The MNA had even signed an agreement that he would consult with senior leaders of the party before taking any initiative, he said.

“But he never took senior members of the party into confidence about utilisation of development fund,” Mr Rahman said.

He alleged that the MNA made his brother in-charge of development fund. “The development fund is being utilised only for the benefit of influential people while common people are ignored,” he said.

The PPP-Ideological leader alleged that the brother of MNA was involved in misuse of fund. “We have proofs of fund misuse. We will use these proofs against the MNA,” he threatened.

He said that Mr Chattan and PPP Bajaur president Aurangzeb, a relative of the MNA, were responsible for decline of the party in the region. “So far, PPP has failed to arrange a single public gathering in the tribal region,” Mr Rahman said.

Meanwhile, PPP Bajaur president Aurangzeb has said that 500 workers and scores of local leaders have been expelled from the party for violating discipline.

In a press released issued here on Thursday, he said that the decision was taken at a party meting. “The party issued show case notices to them several times but they didn’t clear their position,” he added.