FILE photo: AAP leader Yogendra Yadav
After four senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders issued a public statement detailing why founder members Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were sacked from a key party panel, a newly-elected AAP legislator from Delhi has begun a signature campaign against them.
The MLA, Kapil Mishra, has written to AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with a list of complaints against Mr Yadav, Mr Bhushan and the latter's father Shanti Bhushan, and says he will get all the party's 67 legislators in Delhi to sign his petition for their expulsion.
"I will give this petition, with the support of our MLAs to Arvind (Kejriwal) ji once he comes back. I have spoken to all our MLAs and they have agreed to sign the petition," said Mr Mishra, calling for "exemplary action" against those found to be involved in "anti-party activities."
Mr Mishra's campaign is seen as part of an effort by Arvind Kejriwal's supporters to lay the ground for more action against Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan ahead of the AAP's National Council meeting later this month. There is speculation that they could push for the removal of these leaders from the party's national executive.
Last week, the national executive voted 11-8 to remove them from AAP's Political Affairs Committee or PAC. Mr Kejriwal's supporters said Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan were attempting to unseat him as party chief.
Mr Kejriwal said he was disturbed by the warring in the party and offered to resign, which the party rejected. The chief minister did not attend the national executive meeting and the next day flew to Bengaluru for a 10-day break at a health farm where he is getting naturopathy treatment for diabetes.
He returns to Delhi on Sunday, March 15.
In the statement issued yesterday, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and three other AAP leaders accused the Bhushans and Mr Yadav of working to ensure the party's defeat in the recent Delhi assembly polls - which AAP swept - and of attempting to malign the image of Arvind Kejriwal.
Mr Mishra's petition makes identical allegations.