In another blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its patron Shanti Bhushan, on Wednesday, hit out at party convener Arvind Kejriwal, questioning his organisational skills and the apparent lack of internal democracy in the party. Bhushan’s comments came as a major setback for the fledgling party which has already been confronted with a simmering dissidence from prominent leaders like Yogendra Yadav and Shazia Ilmi, besides facing an off-shoot volunteers’ wing called AVAM launched last month.
Although appreciating Kejriwal for being a good leader, senior Bhushan also said that the party leader ought to listen to other leaders of AAP while taking decisions. “Arvind (Kejriwal) is a great leader and a great campaigner, but in my opinion he lacks organisational ability. He does not have the kind of competence which can spread the message of the party all over India, which can quickly create elected structures of the party which nobody will be able to blame,” said Bhushan.
“Therefore this delay of two years in getting the elected structures in place is a great handicap. This is resulting in different voices,” he told to the media on Wednesday. The criticism coming from the party patron assumes significance as there has been a discontent brewing within the party cadre and even some senior leaders over “lack of democracy” and “Swaraj” at the time when it is gearing up for Assembly elections after its drubbing in lok Sabha polls.
The party last month sacked Karan Singh, a senior volunteer, after he along with other party workers formed AAP Volunteers Vichar Manch (AVAM) to raise issues concerning volunteers, complaining lack of internal democracy in the party. It is pertinent to note that Bhushan had come out in support of AVAM at that time.
The senior lawyer said that since Kejriwal is not an elected leader he cannot claim to be the sole voice of the party. “Today, since he does not owe his position as an elected person by all India members of the party, therefore, he cannot say his voice is the sole voice of the party. Possibly, he thinks that because the National Council appointed him as convener of the National Executive which is why he probably feels his voice is the main,” he said.
Meanwhile, the AAP responded to Shanti Bhushan’s comments saying that it does not agree with the comments made by him. It said that Bhushan is apparently unhappy at the party’s decision of not contesting the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. “Shanti Bhushan’s statement is unfortunate. The criticism by Bhushan, who is himself one of the founding members of the party, on this issue is misplaced. The biggest example of internal democracy is the party’s decision to contest lok Sabha elections on a large number of seats, despite opposition from the AAP national convener, Arvind Kejriwal,” said AAP spokesperson Ashutosh.
Former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi, who quit the party also hit out at Kejriwal and said, “I resigned from the party and I would like to echo Shanti Bhushanji’s sentiments that there is indeed a lack of inner party democracy, there is a lack of organizational skills. Voice of dissent and constructive criticism is not appreciated in the party which was an issue that I had raised while resigning.”