Bhushan, Yadav out of top AAP panel

Bhushan, Yadav out of top AAP panel
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Highlights

The internecine strife which rocked the Aam Aadmi Party barely within a month of its romping back to power had an ugly end on Wednesday with the 21-member national executive (NE) of the party ousting two founders Prashant Bhushan, a leading Supreme Court lawyer, and political pundit Yogendra Yadav from the nine-member, decision-making political affairs committee (PAC) of the party.

New Delhi: The internecine strife which rocked the Aam Aadmi Party barely within a month of its romping back to power had an ugly end on Wednesday with the 21-member national executive (NE) of the party ousting two founders Prashant Bhushan, a leading Supreme Court lawyer, and political pundit Yogendra Yadav from the nine-member, decision-making political affairs committee (PAC) of the party.

  • Both have questioned ‘one man-centric’ functioning
  • Kejriwal’s offer to quit party post rejected

Yadav and Bhushan's ouster came days after the duo had raised red flag against continuation of Kejriwal as National Convener and also questioned his working style, evoking a sharp reaction from Kejriwal supporters who accused Bhushan and his father Shanti Bhushan of wanting to have a “vice-like grip” on all party wings, from PAC to policy committee to NE.

Yadav has also been reportedly asked to step down as the party's official spokesperson. Both leaders merely said that they would go by the party decision and would do as mandated. Yadav noted that the party was created with "blood and sweat" of thousands of supporters whose trust should not be betrayed. On Kejriwal's resignation as National Convener, Kumar Vishwas said: "the party has rejected Kejriwal's resignation." Kejriwal did not attend the meeting.

Aam Aadmi Party members Yogendra Yadav (right) and Prashant Bhushan speak to media persons after the party's national executive committee meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Amid dramatic developments Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal offered to quit from his party post, but the offer was turned down. Soon after the party retained power, knives were out on the style of functioning of internal democracy and two warring groups emerged thus - one led by Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan and the other by Arvind Kejriwal. Both camps indulged in backbiting and washed their dirty linen in public, running down each other, so much so that the Aam Aadmi Party, which vowed to usher in alternative politicis, looked much the same as any traditional party.

The contention of Yadav and Bhushan has been that once the personality cult of Kejriwal drove the party to power, they must all return to the basic tenets of a strong internal democracy and transparency, which should reflect in the party’s functioning. BJP made a mockery of the open fight between the stalwarts of AAP, saying it was all for Rajya Sabha nomination.

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