Following the recent events that have shaken the Aam Aadmi Party, senior leader Yogendra Yadav on Friday expressed his views on social media saying that despite the mudslinging within party members, they should all come together “to preserve the organisational unity and ethical integrity of the movement” they started.
Yadav, who been openly involved in a bitter fight with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, appeared to defend the party chief against allegations of horse-trading. The senior leader referred to the current situation as a “sting-fest” with the emergence of certain audio clips purportedly featuring Kejriwal’s voice. Yadav said that “innocuous conversations” were being presented as stings to “discredit” AAP.
He added, “One incident is being used to discredit the entire movement. Now innocuous conversations are also being presented as stings. Big accusations are flying sans any evidence. The media is happy to dish it all with glee.”
Yadav said these things in a post he published on Facebook. “Whatever our internal differences, no one from this movement can possibly enjoy let alone join this mudslinging. All of us must join hands to preserve the organisational unity and
ethical integrity of this movement,” he elaborated. Since the nemesis of the recent chaos in AAP was the rift between Yadav and Kejriwal, this particular post assumes significance. Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were ousted from AAP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) and have been at odds with the party leadership over various issues, including efforts to form a Government with the help of Congress last year. However, despite that rift, Yadav said, “The manthan (churning) in the last few days has produced good deal of visha (poison); it’s time now for amrita (holy water). Or so I hope.”
Yadav, who had also issued a joint letter with Bhushan rejecting the allegations of anti-party activities against them, wondered whether “powerful forces” were behind the tumult in the party. “Is this situation playing into the hands of those powerful forces that would rather that the idea of AAP is nipped in the budIJ” he asked, adding the need to “resist” such designs. “The spate of attacks on the party in the last two days can only evoke deep anguish. Have received messages from thousands of volunteers. Everyone is hurt and pained,” he said.