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By Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press Published Monday, April 21, 2014 3:05PM CST Last Updated Monday, April 21, 2014 3:45PM CST

WINNIPEG -- This should be a celebratory time for the Manitoba Liberals -- they're riding at a near record-high level in opinion polls under new leader Rana Bokhari heading into next month's annual general meeting.

But the party is dealing with another public eruption of internal criticism accusing Bokhari and her leadership team of stomping on the rights of grassroots members and, despite the improved popularity, of hurting the party.

"If this leadership group were trying to destroy the party, it could not be doing a better job," Shane Nestruck, president of the party's constituency association in Fort Garry-Riverview, told The Canadian Press on Monday.

"The only reason I am not resigning is that I hope for a complete change of leadership at the coming annual general meeting."

Nestruck's criticism echoes comments in February from Bob Axworthy, who ran against Bokhari for the leadership last October and who accused her and Liberal executives of "purging" some longtime members in an attempt to control the party.

Nestruck came forward after an anonymous blog surfaced online last week that was severely critical of Bokhari. The blog has since been taken down.

Nestruck points to recent moves by new members of the party brass.

The party issued letters in February to a half-dozen members, including Nestruck, telling them their membership was under review and offering no explanation. More recently, party president Robert Young decided not to call any more board of directors gatherings until after the annual general meeting.

The party brass has put forward several constitutional amendments for the upcoming meeting, including a plan to shrink the board of directors and reduce the minimum number of board meetings each year to six from eight. Another proposed amendment would formalize the party's code of conduct and make it an offence to do anything to bring the party, its candidates or its leader "into disrepute."

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Manitoba Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari faces more internal turmoil