Subsequent to the ongoing turmoil in the Aam Aadmi Party, national convener Arvind Kejriwal agreed to meet senior leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan “soon” to resolve this issue. The duo had approached the Delhi Chief Minister on Tuesday evening via SMS asking for a meeting to put an end to the growing rift within the party.
In the last couple of weeks, the party has undergone a series of events which has widened the gap between senior party leaders of the party. Both the camps — Kejriwal’s and Yadav’s — have been making accusations and levelling allegations against each other.
According to the Kejriwal camp, the duo wanted the party to lose the Delhi Assembly elections and was attempting to remove the Delhi Chief Minister from the post of AAP national convener. Following this, the duo was dropped from the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) at a meeting earlier this month.
However, Kejriwal was away from the national Capital getting naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru while the party was making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The CM flew back to Delhi on Monday night after 12 days and was welcomed by requests for meeting by several leaders including Yadav and Bhushan. Kejriwal has told Bhushan and Yadav that he will “meet them soon”.
Meanwhile, Bhushan has declined to meet anyone but Kejriwal to sort out the issues between the two. Reportedly, AAP leader Ashish Khetan had requested him for a meeting which he declined. Incidentally, Khetan had lashed out at Bhushan, accusing his father and party patron Shanti Bhushan and sister Shalini of wanting to control all the wings of the party. Khetan had later expressed regret for his comment.
“Khetan had asked for a meeting this morning but I responded saying meeting you would not serve any purpose and I would like to meet Arvind,” Bhushan told agencies. The activist lawyer, who was voted out of the party’s PAC on March 4, had sent a message to Kejriwal.
Bhushan added that Kejriwal told him he was busy until the Budget Session, which is scheduled next week. “I asked him for time, he said we will meet soon, but he would be busy with the vote of account and the Budget Session. I told him it’s an important issue,” he said.