A day after the controversial National Council meeting of the Aam Aadmi Party, in which founding members Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were voted out of the 21-member National Executive, the party has released a video of Mr Kejriwal's speech at the meeting.
AAP sacks internal lokpal Admiral Ramdass, reconstitutes lokpal committee. Party also drops Prashant Bhushan from disciplinary committee.
'It was hard to work with those who work against the party,' says Arvind Kejriwal on expulsion of Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from AAP National Executive
- Mr Bhushan betrayed my trust, can't work with him.
- Both Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan tried to defeat AAP in the Delhi polls.
Activist Medha Patkar Expresses Regret Over AAP's Infighting, Quits Party- Prashant Bhushan who fought against various corruption scandals helped strengthen the anti-corruption movement in the country.
- Yogendra Yadav has reached the farmers and people at the grass-root level and have supported them..
- I don't know of any instance where they have done anti-party activities.
- I would not want to level any charges against the Aam Aadmi Party either.
- It is sad that the infighting of the party has come to the forefront.
- I had not accepted various membership positions offered by the Aam Aadmi Party.
- Today, I also resign from the party's membership.
AAP Draws Flak, Ridicule Over Infighting
The Aam Aadmi Party today drew flak over the infighting from other parties which asked it to put its house in order and focus on delivering on its election promises made to the people of Delhi.
Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan address press conference after being voted out of AAP National Executive:
Here is what Yogendra Yadav said at the press conference:
- 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 asked how could that 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.
- 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 Convernor 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.
- I regret to say that I have tried and failed at helping Arvind Kejriwal curb his dictatorial tendencies.
Senior AAP leader Ashutosh to NDTV:
- I admit the image of the party has been dented.
- Governance of Delhi has not been impacted.
- If Bhushan and Yadav had knocked on Kejriwal's door instead of seeking appointment through media, maybe he would have met them. Did they try?
Aam Aadmi Party holds press conference on today's National Council meeting, where senior leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were voted out of the party's AAP:
- Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan expelled from National Executive for anti-party activities.
- There was a vote through a show of hands, and only eight members backed them.
- We have the signatures of 247 people who voted in favour of dropping them from National Executive.
- There was no violence against the supporters of Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan.
- There were no bouncers present, as they have claimed.
"We do not want to express a very strong opinion on this. People voted for this government with high hopes, and expect the these promises to be fulfilled. Such a historic opportunity should be lost solely because of political inexperience," says Union Finance Minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley on drama within the Aam Aadmi Party.