‘Time for New Party?
NEW DELHI: At a meeting called by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rebels Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan today, members were asked in a questionnaire, “Should there be a new political party?”
In a few hours, those attending the meeting near Delhi are likely to vote on it.
Dubbed “Swaraj Samvad” or self-rule dialogue, the daylong event is widely expected to set the stage for a breakaway party by a faction that has questioned chief Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership for months.
“A party based of the principles of democracy should not be afraid of an open discussion,” Mr Yadav said.The rebels have invited everyone “unhappy with the current party leadership” to voice their views in the event.
“I have come to engage with everyone here. We have to learn a lot, grow a lot and live up to the responsibility that the people of Delhi have given us,” said Pankaj Pushkar, an AAP lawmaker whose presence at the meeting raised eyebrows.
The party has warned that participation in Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan’s meeting would be seen as an act of rebellion.”Swaraj Samvad is not a party function. The Political Affairs Committee and the National Executive will decide on what action needs to be taken after the meeting,” senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh has said.
Asked about AAP’s warning, Mr Yadav said, “AAP talks about giving certain rights to the volunteers and members, if the workers are exercising their rights I am sure the party will respect it.”
Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan, who founded AAP along with Mr Kejriwal, were removed from all important party posts last month after a public and acrimonious process.
They stand accused of working against Mr Kejriwal and trying unsuccessfully to undermine the party’s campaign in the Delhi election, which ended with a record result for India’s youngest party, and brought Mr Kejriwal back for a second term as Chief Minister.
