Sisodia gets notice for not paying rents: Hypocrisy, controversy a trademark of AAP

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal is having tough times as his party is constantly attracting controversies, which is affecting its poll prospects. Following after the rape allegation against party worker, now senior party leader Manish Sisodia is under scanner for not clearing house rent. The PWD department has sent a notice to leader and has told to clear the due of approximately Rs 1, 99, 596.

"We have issued a notice to him (Sisodia) to pay outstanding house rent," said a PWD official.

Issue in nutshell

•When Manish Sisodia was the Minister in AAP Government, he was allocated two-bedroom flats in pocket B of Mayur Vihar.

•The Government lasted only for 49-days in Delhi but according to rules, the Minister can stay in allocated house only for 15 days without paying rent after the resignation.

•The rule also says that after passing of this duration (15 days), the Minister can only live in the flat by paying the market rent.

•PWD official is saying that a notice about vacating the flat was sent to Sisodia on May 22 but he remained in the flat till June 30 thus owing around Rs 2 lakh rupees to PWD.

What Sisodia is saying

•The former Education Minister has outrightly rejected the report.

•Sisodia said that he cleared all the dues regarding the flats and moreover, the PWD department has not sent the notice to me but shared it with media.

•He also alleged that it is handiwork of BJP Government who is trying tooth and nail to malign him and his party.

Cup of woes not getting over for AAP

•A 32-year-old AAP activist was arrested over the charges of repeatedly raping a female colleague in Bhayandar area of Mumbai.

•Earlier similar rape allegation was charged against party candidate Shailendra Singh Kushwaha.

•Recently an FIR was filed against leader Alka Lamba for allegedly sharing a gory picture of the Lucknow rape victim on social networking site.

•Sometimes back, three of their activists including party leader Dilip Pandey were arrested on the charge of promoting enmity between different communities.

•After Lok Sabha debacle a galaxy of senior leaders, like Shazia Ilmi, Yogendra Yadav, Anjali Damania, who were a part of the core committee resigned from party posts.

•Then there is grave discontent among party workers that top leaders are not easily accessible and they are full of themselves

•Then, party is facing deluge of funds which were like raining before the Lok Sabha election.

Faced humiliating defeat in LS

•The party was routed by Modi-led BJP which won all six seats in Delhi, barely six months after it had won 28 seats in Delhi Assembly election.

•Similarly was the party's fate in other States like Haryana and Maharashtra where it stakes were high.

•The only comforting point for the party was that it won four seats in Punjab.

•The dismal performance of AAP could be gauged by the fact that all the star candidates of party like Shazia Ilmi, Kumar Vishwas and Javed Jaffery couldn't even save their deposits in the poll.

AAP needs to look within

At the time when AAP chief Kejriwal is trying hard to resurrect party's image such allegations will definitely be a dampener which will curtail its prospect in coming election.

Problem with AAP is that it has become synonymous to controversies. Moreover, its allegation mostly falls flat as they don't substantiate them with ample proof, for instance, recently they alleged BJP men are offering Rs 20 crore each to many MLAs and thus trying to form Delhi Government by dishonest and highly unethical ways.

When they were at helm in Delhi, tall claims were made about free electricity and water availability but none of them were completed. Rather than announcing long lists of promises, party could have conclusively completed only one of the issues. But then all depends on the real intention. They have their intention not right and that is why people outrightly rejected them in recent poll.

In the backdrop of controversy, AAP needs to introspect much more.