'Failed in My Efforts to Curb Arvind Kejriwal's Dictatorial Tendencies': AAP's Prashant Bhushan

Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan addressing a press conference.

Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were voted out of the Aam Aadmi Party's 21-member National Executive, a meeting of its National Council. The two leaders are addressing a press conference in Delhi after the dramatic events of the morning.
 

Here is what Yogendra Yadav said:

• We are all present here and we are ashamed.
• The Aam Aadmi Party had come to establish a new respect for politics in this country.
• We had promised to deliver a new brand of politics to this country.
• Admiral Ramdass, the party's internal lokpal was asked last night not to come to the National Council meeting.
• Admiral Ramdass was told that his presence would cause a confrontation. He had asked how this would happen.
• The internal lokpal has always been there at every important meeting of the party so far.
• The events of this morning make it clear why the internal lokpal was asked not to be there.
• The truth is that what happened today at the meeting was worse than what happens at meetings of corrupt parties.
• A party that entered the scene on the basis of a lokpal has today prevented its own lokpal from its own meeting.
• When he spoke at the meeting as National Convenor of the party, Arvind Kejriwal did not talk about the party or the issues we face.
• He spoke specifically about Prashant Bhushan and me.
• The only thing he did was to level allegations against us.
• He started attacking Shanti Bhushan without naming him.
• He told the meeting that he is willing to offer his resignation from all party posts.
• He asked the members of the National Council to choose between him and us.
• When Ramzan Chaudhary said that we should be allowed to speak and that we should be heard, bouncers attacked him.
• I objected that a National Council member of the party is being beaten.
• At this point, Arvind Kejriwal left the meeting, saying Gopal Rai would chair the meeting.

Here is what Prashant Bhushan said at the press conference:

• We were expecting that the National Council meeting would not be allowed to happen properly, that true members would not be allowed to take part, that proper voting would not be allowed to happen and that each MLA had been asked to bring 50 people each.
• Admiral Ramdass, the internal lokpal of the party, was informed that the National Council meeting is an internal political matter of the party.
• The events of today stand as proof that the Aam Aadmi Party has become like every other party.
• Is this why we set up a party? Is this why we have put in all our efforts to raise this party?
• It is time for all party members and volunteers to think if we need to be in a party that stands for the very same hooliganism that we did not want in the first place.
• I have been telling him (Arvind Kejriwal) that he has dictatorial tendencies and that he should curb those.
• But today, he has showed that he can use these tendencies ruthlessly stifle dissent and opposition to what he wants.
• I regret to say that I have tried and failed at helping Arvind Kejriwal curb his dictatorial tendencies and they have taken a more dangerous form.
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