The political upheaval in the Aam Aadmi Party’s top leadership in Delhi has created ripples in its Punjab unit. Within hours the AAP showed the door to four of its senior leaders, including Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, the party on Tuesday went a step ahead replacing party’s “rebel” Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi with Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann as its parliamentary party leader.
Gandhi’s removal from the post came after his open outburst against “undemocratic” expulsion of Yadav and Bhushan from the party’s National Executive. Gandhi has been replaced by his fellow MP from Punjab, Mann, who is known as staunch loyalist of AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal.
On his removal, Gandhi maintained that such things did not affect him, while Mann attributed his appointment for being aggressive in the House and raising maximum people-specific issues. It has been learnt that Kejriwal, party convener, in a communication to the lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has recommended Mann’s name as new leader of AAP in the House a day before. The same has been reportedly accepted by the Speaker.
A day before, the AAP has expelled rebels Bhushan, Yadav, Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha from the party for what it calls “anti-party” activities. There are speculations that the party may also crackdown on Gandhi for going all out in public against the party, Kejriwal, and supporting the Yadav-Bhushan camp. Removing him from an important post may just an indicator of reminding gandhi that the party has no more faith in him.
Gandhi, who made the former Union Minister and three-time MP Preneet Kaur bite the dust in Patiala constituency during 2014 lok Sabha polls, had been highly critical of the party leadership in the way Bhushan and Yadav were thrown out from the party’s top echelons.
The doctor-turned-MP had even walked out from the AAP’s National Council meeting on March 28 to mark his protest against the expulsion of Yadav and Bhushan. It has been learnt that Gandhi, who did not turned up for Yadav’s meeting in Chandigarh and also not attended the Swaraj Samvad convention on April 14, has confirmed his support to them, and the issues raised by them.
Reacting, Gandhi said that he has entered the politics to serve the people and not to hold any post. “I had already offered to put in my papers from all the party posts, and replacing me with someone else, hardly makes any difference to me. I am here to serve the people, and not to enjoy such powers or posts,” Gandhi told The Pioneer.
On the other hand, Mann defended his appointment by claiming that he had “raised the maximum number of questions, and participated in most of the debates. I have raised points during discussion of many Bills in the House. If the party wants to give me some more responsibilities...if they think I am capable to handle them all, I am ready to perform it”.
Mann, a popular leader among the youngsters, has extended all his support to Kejriwal in the rift between the two camps. A comedian-turned-politician, Mann has won Sangrur seat by defeating the Congress’ sitting MP and Akali stalwart by a record margin.
Mann and Gandhi are among its four MPs. AAP managed to bag just four seats, all in Punjab, during 2014 General Elections while drawing blank in all other States, including Delhi. Besides them, Sadhu Singh and Harjinder Singh Khalsa are representing AAP in the lok Sabha.
Buoyant by the massive response in Punjab, the party is preparing to contest 2017 assembly polls. However, the latest developments have divided the party vertically between the Kejriwal supporters and Yadav-Bhushan camp.
It has even cracked a whip on many of the senior state party leaders, including its lok Sabha candidates, by expelling them from the party for “anti-party activities”. Sacking Gandhi, at the time when the party is gearing up for 2017 Punjab polls, could be a tough decision for AAP.