It was AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s “emotional appeal” to party leaders which sealed the ouster of Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and two others from its National Executive, a member of its National Council (NC) said as the crisis within the outfit reached a flashpoint during the Saturday meeting.
“It was nothing else but Kejriwal’s emotional appeal to all NC members and his offer to resign from all the four posts of the party which decided the fate of the four leaders,” said an AAP NC member who was speaking on condition of anonymity. Kejriwal also threatened to resign moments before they were sacked from the National Executive, accusing them of engaging in “anti-party” activities.
The NC member also said the charge being made by the ousted leaders that a “prescripted drama” had been staged to remove them was, “nothing but a bundle of lies”. “In his 10 minute-speech, Kejriwal played an emotional card and briefed the members, saying it had become impossible for him to work for the party while Yadav and Bhushan remained members of the National Executive,” said the member.
“Either you get rid of them (Bhushan, Yadav) or free me from all the four posts of the party,” he quoted Kejriwal as having said at the National Council meeting. “Though Kejriwal showed his displeasure and initially wanted only Bhushan and Yadav to be removed (from the NE), when he (Kejriwal) left and the final proposal was drafted, two additional names of Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha were added,” revealed another member, who said he had voted for the ouster of all four.