All hopes of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to bring back its founder member, Shazia Ilmi, were quashed on Thursday when the former leader consented to be a part of the Delhi BJP’s programme on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan.
Talking to The Pioneer, Ilmi said that AAP’s position has only worsened as issues like lack of democracy within the party and neglect of its volunteers have still not been addressed by its top leadership. Reeling already under an identity crisis with its party symbol — broom — being overshadowed by Modi’s Clean India campaign, Ilmi’s latest association with the Delhi BJP has given the fledgling party yet another setback.
Keeping in mind Ilmi’s past association with AAP, Delhi BJP quite cleverly roped her in among eight other prominent people, including Olympian Sushil Kumar, Delhi University VC Dinesh Singh and Padma Shri Dr KK Agarwal to follow the suit of Modi’s idea of nominating nine others for the clean India campaign. However, out of all the nominees, it was Ilmi who stole the limelight amid speculations that her presence right next to Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay meant she might join the party as well.
However, Ilmi maintained that she had her “hands full” in fulfilling her career pursuits and that she had no plans to join any party. “The new Government has come up with some striking and noteworthy efforts. Delhi BJP invited me and because I liked the campaign, I agreed at once. There is no need to politicise everything. I am not participating in this campaign for Modi or for Mahatma Gandhi. It’s for my city,” said Ilmi.
Referencing AAP, she said, “The party’s situation seems to have only worsened. People are leaving and those who are not, they are complaining. Anjali Damania and Preeti Sharma Menon have also resigned. Neither has AAP tried to contact me, nor have I.” Calling her stint in politics “bitter”, she further said that she would refrain from joining any party in case fresh elections happen in Delhi.
Announced in the presence of Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, the others whom Upadhyay introduced for the Delhi chapter of the campaign are Kathak exponent and Padma Bhushan Uma Sharma, DCM Group MD Vinay Bharat Ram, Indian Islamic Centre’s president Sirazuddin Qureshi, CAIT’s general secretary Praveen Khandelwal and DUSU’s president Mohit Nagar. Apart from them, Upadhyay also nominated others which included singer Shibani Kashyap, Harjinder Kaur of FICCI (ladies wing) and presidents of several RWAs.
Speaking on the occasion, Naidu said, “We want to adopt a three-pronged approach with regard to this campaign —awareness among people, creation of infrastructure, toilets and sanitation facilities involving private sectors in a big way. People will have to participate in this campaign in large numbers.”
Meanwhile, distancing itself from Ilmi, AAP maintained that its relations with her had ended long ago. “We would not like to comment on the issue. She left us and denied to return even when we tried to convince her,” said Dilip Pandey, spokesperson of the party. However, Ilmi denied of the party approaching her in anyway ever since she resigned.