New Delhi: Peeved at its senior leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan’s criticism of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s approach, the party here on Monday hinted at acting tough against the duo in the national executive meet on Wednesday.

The party’s official stand became clear a day after a joint letter by Yadav and Bhushan was leaked to the media which questioned the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) “one person-centric” approach and criticised it on various fronts.

“The attempts were being made to remove Kejriwal as the national convener of the party,” AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, obliquely referring to Yadav and Bhushan at a press conference here.

Talking about the letters being written by members to party authorities, some of whom are with the media, Singh said the party would discuss the recent turn of events, including the leakage of letters in its national executive meeting.

“The continuous leakage of letters written by party members has made the party look like a joke,” he said.

Asked whether the duo would be sacked from the Political Affairs Committee (PAC), the highest decision making body of the AAP, Singh said: “I have only announced the date for the meeting. Have I announced the decisions that will be taken there?”

AAP founding members Yadav and Bhushan, who have been raising the issue of “one man, one post” and the party becoming “person-centric”, might be asked to step down from their posts in the PAC or assume non-active roles, party sources said.

Sources said the party won’t ask them to leave but if they chose to do so, they won’t be stopped.

Party lokpal Admiral L. Ramdas, in a letter which was leaked to the media, had pointed to two camps emerging within the top leadership and had asked the AAP to reconsider the ‘one man, one post’ arrangement.

Efforts were on to contain the differences among the party members with former journalist and party member Ashutosh tweeting that the developments were just a “clash of ideas”.

Yogendra Yadav has slammed reports about the crisis in the party.

“Voters in Delhi have given us a huge mandate and this is the time to work more with a large heart,” Yadav tweeted.

“The country has placed a lot of hope with us. And I can only appeal that we should not lower that expectation with our petty issues. I pray that better sense prevails on us,” the tweet added.

(IANS)

New Delhi: AAP leader Yogendra Yadav on Monday said that he felt sad over false reports about him and Prashant Bhushan being unhappy with the happenings in the party, added this was a time to work with a large heart following their big win in Delhi.

“I feel sad and at the same time (feel like) laughing too after reading whatever is being said in the media about me and Prashant ji for the last two days… Delhi has given such huge mandate to AAP. I would appeal that we should not let the faith of people dwindle in the AAP,” Yadav said in a tweet Monday morning.

“Today it is the time to work for the country. The country has great expectation from us (AAP),” Yadav added.

Reflecting his discontent about the functioning of the Aam Aadmi Party, senior leader Prashant Bhushan has written a letter raising questions about some decisions of party convenor Arvind Kejriwal who is now chief minister of Delhi.

In the letter, apparently written to members of party’s national executive, Bhushan has raised questions about the party running a “person-centric” campaign in Delhi polls and not following some of its professed principles.

(IANS)

New Delhi: Crisis deepened in AAP with senior leader Prashant Bhushan accusing the party of running a “one person-centric” campaign revolving around Arvind Kejriwal during the Delhi elections contrary to its principles.

Bhushan said the ‘one person-centric’ campaign was making the party look like other conventional parties and called for more “swaraj” within the organisation.

“…one person-centric campaign, which was run during Delhi elections, is making our party look more and more like other conventional parties that are also one- person centric. The only difference being that we still claim that we are wedded to the principles of ‘swaraj’ while they don’t.

“Running one person-centric campaign may be effective, but does that justify sacrificing our principles? We will need to make a conscious course correction if we have to get away from a supremo controlled party,” Bhushan said in a letter to members of AAP National Executive, which met last Thursday.

Serious differences appeared to have cropped up within AAP, including over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s role in the party, with internal Lokpal Admiral Ramdas pointing to two camps emerging within top leadership and asking the party to consider ‘one-man, one-post’ arrangement.

Bhushan also accused Kejriwal of not giving more autonomy to the states to take their decision on contesting elections.

Bhushan and another AAP leader Yogendra Yadav wanted the party to contest the Haryana state elections, but another section led by Kejriwal was against it.

“Swaraj means decentralised decision making. On those principles it is the state unit who have to decide whether we should contest elections in the state. But we are deciding for them and ordering them not to contest elections.

“Even the National Executive had decided when to allow the states and when to contest elections but that decision was frustrated by Kejriwal by not allowing the states to contest elections. We made mockery of the principles of democracy and swaraj,” Bhushan said.

Bhushan also sought transparency in the way funds are spent which, he claimed, is currently being done in an “arbitrary” manner. “The party now receives considerable donations. There is, however, no systematic planning on how these funds are to be spend. We do not have any empowered committee or decision making system of deciding on how the funds are to be spent,” he said.

“With the result that such decisions are being made in an arbitrary manner by a few people who are not authorised by the National Executive to take such decisions. There are some volunteers who are paid by the party, but a vast majority of them are not… Even these decisions need to be taken in a systematic and democratic manner,” Bhushan said.

Bhushan also slammed the party over its “lack of transparency”. He said while the party criticises BJP and Congress, it has not put up its expenditure on website.

“Our party was founded on the principle of transparency and accountability which is embedded in the vision document of the party. We had claimed that parties should come under RTI Act and berated BJP and Congress for flouting the information Commission directive to them to come under RTI.

“We said, we will put all our accounts on public website. But what is the reality today. Far from bringing the party under RTI, we don’t even have our accounts on the website. We have put our donations but not expenses. We don’t even put decision of our constitutional bodies like National Executive, or the PAC on the website, what to say of the minutes,” he said.

“In fact, as far as I am aware, even decision of PAC or NE meetings are not maintained what to say of making them transparent,” the letter said.

In a joint letter to National Executive members, Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav is believed to have highlighted contentious issues like expanding the PAC.

Referring to the controversy where AAP MLA from Uttam Nagar Naresh Balyan was booked after illegal liqour was allegedly seized from his residence, the two leaders demanded thorough investigation by the party into this case.

They also demanded “activation” of the discipline and grievance committee.

(PTI)