Bhushan, Yadav launch no-holds-barred attack against Kejriwal

New Delhi, Mar 27: In further escalation of infighting, AAP dissident leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav today mounted a no-holds-barred attack on party chief Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of stifling internal democracy and adopting unfair means to capture power.

Addressing a press conference, the two leaders alleged that any issue raised by them was being projected as questioning Kejriwal's leadership and attempts to remove him from the post of AAP's national convenor.

Bhushan even claimed that Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal had suggested that he will form a regional party with all party MLAs saying "he cannot work with us". The attack on Kejriwal by the two founding members of the party came a day before the crucial meeting of AAP's National Council which is likely to deliberate on the fate of Bhushan and Yadav and other major issues.

The two leaders said they will quit all "executive posts" if the five demands they had placed before the leadership which include bringing the party under the ambit of the RTI Act, ordering probe by AAP's internal Lokpal into allegations of wrong doing and giving state units more autonomy, are met.

"We had sent a note to the party placing our demands which is now being shown as our resignation letter. Whereas it was a conditional letter to resign. We had said if our five demands are met, we will resign from all party posts," Yadav said.

The two leaders said they were repeatedly being pressurised to resign during the reconciliation talks and clarified that they never raised the issue of the post of party convenorship during the talks.

"Why is it that if we raise any question, our intent is questioned?" Yadav asked, adding their fight is not for personal gains but to restore AAP's founding principles. Yadav also alleged that the party Constitution has been removed from AAP's official website.

Bhushan slammed Kejriwal for allegedly trying to poach Congress MLAs to form government in Delhi last year. "The National Executive had rejected a proposal to form government taking support of Congress. Despite that, Kejriwal sent a letter to Lt Governor asking him not to dissolve the assembly," Bhushan said.

PTI