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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.

Party’s WB unit to merge with BJP

The state unit of the Aam Admi Party on Friday decided to merge with the BJP, party's West Bengal president Rahul Sinha said. "Many leaders from other parties have also shown interest to join the BJP," Sinha said. — PTI