AAP rift deepens: Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav offer to quit from all party posts

New Delhi, Mar 18: As the warring factions of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) showed signs of putting aside their differences with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, party has faced yet another crisis as estranged members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav have reportedly expressed their desire to quit from national executive and all other party posts.

Prashant Bhushan, who is at warring ends with Kejriwal and his loyalists, has written a letter to the AAP convener on Tuesday and expressed his desire to quit from the party. Yadav has also written a letter to Kejriwal over the same.

Earlier on Monday, senior AAP leaders Sanjay Singh, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh and Ashish Khetan -- all known to be Kejriwal loyalists -- met Yadav late on Monday night and held discussions on several contentious issues.

Both the camps termed the discussions as "positive". The efforts for rapprochement by both the sides picked momentum following Kejriwal's return here on Monday night after 12 days of naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru for his chronic cough and diabetes.

Kejriwal and Yadav briefly interacted at a city court where they were summoned in a defamation case. AAP's powerful Political Affairs Committee (PAC) met in the evening at Kejriwal's Kausambi residence and discussed the internal rift.

Yadav and Bhushan had extended an olive branch to Kejriwal by seeking a meeting with him and the AAP chief responded by saying will meet them "soon".

An SMS was sent to Kejriwal on Monday morning on behalf of both the leaders.

"We were bothered with what was happening in the party for the past few days. We started talks with Yogendra (Yadav) bhai. The start was good," Sanjay Singh tweeted.

Sources close to Yadav too echoed similar sentiments. On Kejriwal's affirmative response, Yadav said, "He (Kejriwal) will surely meet whenever he gets time."

Bhushan has declined to meet anyone except Kejriwal to sort out their differnces. Khetan, had requested him for a meeting but Bhushan refused to meet him.

"He (Khetan) had asked for a meeting this morning but I responded saying meeting you would not serve any purpose and I would like to meet Arvind," Bhushan told PTI.

Bhushan added that Kejriwal told him he was busy until the Budget session next week and will meet him thereafter.

OneIndia News

(With inputs from PTI)