Bhushan-Yadav meet: AAP threatens workers

New Delhi, Apr 4: In a veiled threat to party workers, the Aam Aadmi Party on April 3 said attending the April 14 meeting convened by rebel leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan will be considered "indiscipline".

"We don't know what is happening on April 14. Not warned either. But we may consider it indiscipline if any office bearer goes for any such event," Adarsh Shastri, parliamentary secretary to Delhi's Information Technology Minister and an MLA from Dwarka, said.

Shashtri is in the 20-member panel of the newly-appointed spokespersons of the party.

Shashtri's statement assumes importance as dissident AAP leader Anand Kumar had today accused the party leadership of threatening members, who are willing to attend the April 14 meeting, of "disciplinary" action.

Yadav and Bhushan, who were expelled from the party's National Executive along with Kumar and Ajit Jha on March 28, have convened a meeting of their supporters on April 14 to chart the future course of action, amid speculations that they may a float a new political party.

Referring to the meeting as "Swaraj Samvad", Kumar said, "It has been told by a newly-appointed spokesperson of my party that anyone attending the Swaraj Samvad will be subjected to disciplinary action by AAP leader...Please avoid being dictatorial and trust the mind power and force of truth." He urged "all concerned AAPians" to join each other in this hour of self interrogation and course correction.

"It will answer two questions - i. What is going wrong? ii. What is to be done next for Swaraj?. It needs all three form of support - Tan/ personal presence-Man/ ideas and proposals-Dhan/ modest donation!," he said.

Meanwhile, Kumar also criticised the AAP government for removing Delhi Dialogue Commission member secretary Ashish Joshi from the post within weeks of his appointment.

He said the government should tell whether senior officers need to follow rules or "rubbish them to please the bosses as the boss is always right".

"Why was Joshi appointed as secretary of Delhi Dialogue Commission? Secondly, why he has been transferred within weeks from his post? Finally, what is the message of AAP government for senior officers - they should follow the rules or rubbish them to please the bosses as' the boss is always right," he asked through a Facebook post.

Joshi, a 1992-batch Indian Post and Telecom Accounts and Finance Service officer, was given charge as member secretary of Delhi Dialogue Commission, by AAP government a month ago.

The AAP government after coming to power had formed DDC as a consulting body for giving its views on various policies and outline short, medium and long-term plans and programmes to it.

PTI