Trouble is brewing up for the Aam Aadmi Party as its former MlA Vinod Kumar Binny on Sunday joined hands with Janata Dal (United) Shoaib Iqbal to launch a scathing attack on the party besides hinting at launching a new outfit opposing the AAP. The duo has given a 48-hour ultimatum to the AAP Government to meet their demands on issues such as slashing power and water bills, women’s security and fair probe into the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam.
The rebel laxmi Nagar MlA said he had the support of four legislators, including Janata Dal (United) MlA Shoaib Iqbal and Independent legislator Rambeer Shokeen. The trio declared an all out war against the AAP-led Government on Sunday. The three are slated to hold another Press conference on Monday where they claimed they would come up with a comprehensive list of all the dissidents supporting them. Meanwhile, Iqbal said people were not with the AAP any more and hinted at floating a new outfit. “We are setting a deadline of 48 hours for the AAP to fulfil our demands. If our demands are not met we will be forced to rethink the support we have given to them,” said Iqbal.
Binny said he was not driven to bring down the Government, but added the rebels would take a decision after 48 hours, keeping in mind the Government’s commitment to fulfill their demands. Binny had earlier accused the AAP of deviating from its poll promises, triggering an ugly bickering in the party. He was sacked earlier this month.
Before being sacked from the party, Binny had called Kejriwal a dictator and accused the party of betraying the people of Delhi by backtracking on poll promises. Reversing the surcharge on power tariff, making water consumption up to 700 litres a day free without any caveat, probe into the Commonwealth Games and women’s security featured in the charter of demands. After this, Binny was expelled from AAP following a decision by the party’s disciplinary committee. He then announced to sit on a 10-day hunger strike. However, he ended his fast only within four hours on the advice of veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare and the Delhi lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung.
Binny had then accused Kejriwal of not holding a referendum before expelling him from the party. “Kejriwal should have held a referendum to take a decision on me. He should have organised a public meeting in my constituency (laxmi Nagar) before arriving at any conclusion. After becoming Chief Minister of Delhi, he has become a dictator and is taking all decision on his own,” he had said.
However on Sunday, Binny added that he had no intention to reduce Kejriwal’s Government to a minority in the Assembly, and said it was just an attempt to expose the liars. “I am only after the corrupt leaders, it is also important to expose those who are liars,” he said.
Kejriwal’s AAP, which has 27 MlAs after the expulsion of Binny, runs the Government with outside support from eight Congress legislators. If five rebel MlAs come together against the rookie party, it will be tough for the Government to survive in the 70-member House, where the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party — Shiromani Akali Dal combine has 32 legislators.