The Aam Aadmi Party has initiated a move to take disciplinary action against rebel leaders who held Swaraj Samvad recently. According to party members, the party’s disciplinary committee will serve a notice to them and they will be given some time to put up their viewpoints.
The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of AAP on Wednesday concluded that the rebels have committed indiscipline, AAP leader Ashutosh said on Thursday. “If the committee is not satisfied with their replies, disciplinary action will be taken against them,” he said.
Reacting to this, Professor Anand Kumar who also was expelled from AAP’s National Executive (NE) along with Bhushan and Yadav said, “We are certainly loyal members of AAP. If the party asks me to explain charges, I shall do it. I would effectively respond.”
The rebels had announced the formation of a new non-political group Swaraj Abhiyan after their meeting on April 14. Speaking about the movement, Kumar said, “We are planning 60 Swaraj Samvads in 30 days across the country. We will go to every State, zone, district and block level.”
Yadav and Bhushan, ousted from the party’s National Executive for alleged “anti-party” activities, held a day-long conference on Tuesday that was attended by over 4,000 people, many of whom claimed to be AAP volunteers. The event was seen as an attempt to break the AAP led by Kejriwal. However, Yadav, Bhushan and Kumar have denied any intention to split or leave the party.
Clarifying that he and Prashant Bhushan were still a part of the Aam Aadmi Party, Yadav said, “Swaraj Samvad is not a political party or an NGO. We will be under the RTI.”
In an apparent reference to AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Yadav said, “We will have collective leadership — it will not be about an individual.”
On Wednesday, Yadav had said swaraj yatras would be held across the country through which the message of “alternative politics” would be disseminated. “We will form a new agenda and work in accordance,” he had said.
However, Bhushan hinted the movement may transform into a political party saying that that final decision would be taken after the campaign’s success would be analysed in a few years’ time.