AAP expels rebel leaders Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and two others

NEW DELHI: AAP rebels Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav sent separate, strongly worded responses to the party’s ‘show cause’ notice early Monday. Arguing that the Disciplinary Committee’s notice and reconstitution were both “illegal”, Bhushan and Yadav in their letters questioned the standing of the committee itself in serving the duo a ‘show cause’ notice.

In their letters they have made it clear that they do not expect the committee to give them a fair hearing since those constituting it have levelled allegations against them in public. The duo criticised Ashish Khetan and Pankaj Gupta — both members of the disciplinary committee which is taking action against them.

Reserving harshest words for Khetan, Bhushan said he “sought to defend Essar (in the 2G spectrum scam) by relying on the opinion of the then law minister Salman Khurshid, the very opinion for which we had charged Khurshid” in a December 2011 piece the former wrote for the Tehelka magazine.

Calling Khetan’s article an instance of paid news, Bhushan said, “Instead of removing Khetan from the party for this, he has now been rewarded by being appointed as the chairperson of the Delhi Dialogue commission and as a member of the National Disciplinary committee!”