AAP rift: Removing Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from PAC shows dissent has no place

NEW DELHI: AAP's decision to remove senior members Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the political affairs committee (PAC) has upset many supporters.

Though silently , they are protesting the move. There was, however, no open protest from the critics within the party. “We should wait and watch how it unfolds. Bhushan and Yadav have been promised key roles in the party though they are out of PAC,“ said a supporter.

Some of them whom TOI spoke to said this action would lead to further disintegration of the party.

“If Arvind Kejriwal wants sycophants, he shall have them. The sane voices who may have differences on certain issues will gradually leave the party ,“ said a senior member, who did not wish to be identified. He said Kejriwal didn't attend the national executive meeting to avoid blame for the action but the decision had his approval.

“Kejriwal wanted absolute control over the party .That's why he did not keep any portfolio as Delhi chief minister and appointed his close aide Manish Sisodia deputy CM,“ alleged an Aam Aadmi Party MLA.

Many AAP supporters TOI spoke to say the move was stage-managed by certain senior functionaries to get an absolute hold over political affairs. “They are the same people who overruled Bhushan's suggestions about not fielding candidates with a criminal background and bad image,“ said one of them.

He said people of Delhi, who voted for the party and hoped their rise would change politics in the country, are watching helplessly AAP becoming just another political party where people strive for absolute control and focus on self-goals. “In this controversy , the issues affecting the common man have been forgotten completely. You just wait for another one month when people will start demanding that the AAP government fulfill promises made during elections. We will have no answer,“ said another MLA.

Reports say of the 19 national executive members, 11 voted in favour of removing Yadav and Bhushan from the PAC. “Some reports say that i voted against YY (Yogendra Yadav) and PB (Prashan Bhushan). It's untrue. I have abstained from voting for various reasons,“ tweeted Mayank Gandhi, one of the NE members.