AAP in damage control mode

Ananya Panda
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 7
As the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today went into a damage control mode, party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal reached out to the dissidents — Yogendra Yadav and Shazia Ilmi — and acknowledged Yadav’s concerns, asserting that “differences have been ironed out”.

The party has unanimously rejected the resignations in its discussion. Both Yogendra Yadav and Naveen Jaihind retain their party posts. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said that the party would now focus on organisational restructuring, cadre building and expansion of political affairs committee (PAC).

Apart from strengthening its network, AAP would concentrate on the Delhi Assembly elections, said Kejriwal. “Yogendra Yadav is a very dear friend and a very valued colleague. Had long discussion with him…. Yog Yadav has raised some important issues. All of us will work on it,” tweeted Kejriwal.

He also reached out to Shazia Ilmi, who is in the US, in an attempt to convince her to return to the party fold.

“We will also try to get Shazia back,” he tweeted before the crucial AAP national executive committee (NEC) meet. Prior to the NEC meet, it is being said that Prashant Bhushan acted as a peace broker between Kejriwal and Yogendra Yadav. “They are sensible people and all the misunderstandings have been cleared. Yogendra has agreed to withdraw his resignation. We will try to contact Shazia Ilmi when she is back from abroad,” Bhushan told The Tribune.

“There have been some differences but everybody was unanimous in opinion that resignations should be rejected. The issues raised by Yogendra Yadav were discussed. We hope Shazia will withdraw,” he said.

Dismissing comments from opponents regarding the AAP’s collapse, NEC member Prof Anand Kumar maintained: “It is a young party which is learning to institutionalise a system of challenge. The resolution of conflict has happened and the party is united under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal.”

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com

AAP versus AAP as Yadav, Sisodia spar

Ananya Panda
Tribune news Service

New Delhi, June 6
Rift within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is out in the open following the recent “damaging” communication exchanged between AAP senior leaders, Manish Sisodia and Prof Yogendra Yadav, even as the party’s top leadership today dismissed such differences, saying “problems do happen in a newly-formed party”.

The communication between Sisodia and Yadav was discussed at party’s three-day national executive, which began this afternoon. Other issues which were discussed at the national executive included the party’s performance review in the Lok Sabha elections, organisational restructuring and recent resignations by top party leaders.

Tomorrow, the party is likely to take up the issue of constitution of its state unit in Punjab where the party grabbed four Lok Sabha seats.

National executive member Sanjay Singh said after the meeting: “The meeting was positive. The party will rethink on the resignations.”

While another leader and senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan admitted to “organisational lapses”. “It is a new party and problems are bound to occur but the party is analysing slowly.”

It is understood that Shazia Ilmi’s resignation was discussed and the party has asked senior leader Anjali Damania to speak to her and convince her to return to the party fold. Besides Shazia, Captain Gopinath, too, quit the party and both cited lack of democratic functioning within the party as the reason for leaving.

Sisodia’s reaction comes in the wake of recent differences between AAP leaders Yadav and Naveen Jaihind who has also resigned from his position of NEC member. The resignations are yet to be accepted.

Yadav in his salvo has raised seven points such as concentration of power in the political affairs committee (PAC) and absence of mechanism for consulting volunteers and even bypassing the PAC in many decisions indicating that the party is suffering from a “personality-cult” and being operated as a one-man show.

Earlier, Sisodia had written to Yadav: “An ugly fight between you and Naveen Jaihind has been unfolding for the last 15 days. Sad that you have made your spat public and involved the media. The party is being humiliated. What is more that you want disciplinary action against Jaihind. You didn’t get your way so now you have dragged Kejriwal into your personal fight with Naveen Jaihind. When you wanted to be projected as the Haryana CM candidate despite opposition from other PAC members, Arvind backed you.”

“Are you trying to finish Kejriwal or you are trying to finish AAP,” he questioned.

Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com