New Delhi:
In a move that brought into the open the schism within, Delhi's ruling AAP Wednesday ousted senior leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from its top decision-making body, after weeks of infighting that pitted the two against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
With 19 of the 21 members attending the Aam Aadmi Party's National Executive, 11 voted to drop Bhushan and Yadav from the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) while eight voted against, party sources said.
The two absentees included Kejriwal, who flew to Bengaluru to seek 10 days of naturopathy treatment for his persistent cold and high blood sugar.
A PAC member told IANS that there were "dignified exchanges of views" for nearly six hours at the National Executive meeting that was held in a farm house on Delhi's outskirts owned by a party activist.
"Fortunately, there were no acrimonious exchanges at the meeting," the source said. "This is our success. We had dignified exchanges of views. In all, everyone spoke what they wanted to say."
Emerging from the meeting, Yadav, a known political pundit, told the media: "As a disciplined worker of the AAP, I will try to fulfil whatever role is assigned to me to the best of my capacity."
AAP spokesman Kumar Vishwas said the National Executive had decided that Bhushan, a Supreme Court lawyer and a founder member of the AAP, and Yadav won't serve in the PAC any more, and they would get new responsibilities.
He underlined that the AAP, India's youngest political party and which stormed to power in Delhi last month with a thumping majority, remained a united force.
"Everyone (in the party) will together take it forward," he said. "We will do all we can to meet the aspirations of the people of Delhi and the country."
The National Executive also rejected Kejriwal's offer to resign as the party's national convenor. Unlike the larger National Executive, the nine-member PAC is the last word on AAP policies.
src:sify.com