It Took a Court Hearing to Bring Yogendra Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal Together

It took a court hearing to bring together Arvind Kejriwal and Yogendra Yadav, the two estranged leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Mr Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, and Mr Yadav had been ordered to appear in court on a defamation case filed by a lawyer who at one point planned to run for election as an AAP candidate.

The two leaders had not met since the Delhi election, which was swept by AAP. However, in the month since coming to power, the party has been besieged by deep infighting that has included stings by the two rival factions against each other.

Mr Kejriwal arrived first in court with his deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. Mr Yadav, who, along with Prashant Bhushan was removed from a key decision-making body of AAP a few weeks ago, arrived a few minutes later. He sat in a different part of the court, but soon relocated to sit next to Mr Kejriwal. The pair exchanged pleasantries for a few seconds.

Lawyers ignored rules to take photos of the leaders together some were heard saying "you look good together" - an observation that refers to their wide and publicly-breached chasm.

Mr Kejriwal returned to Delhi last evening after a 10-day health sabbatical at a naturopathy clinic in Bangalore. Mr Bhushan, who, like Mr Yadav, has been accused by the chief minister's supporters of plotting to undermine his authority, sent him a text message before he landed in Delhi seeking a meeting to "end the controversy."

Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan have suggested that their differences with Mr Kejriwal are pivoted on his alleged refusal to take on board points of view that disagree, in any measure, with him. Party cadres and volunteers have urged the leaders to reconcile their differences.