AAP staring at rift after senior leader Mayank Gandhi tweets resentment

MUMBAI: The Aam Aadmi Party today dissolved its Maharashtra unit, triggering a sharp reaction from its National Executive member Mayank Gandhi, who said the party convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is "hell-bent on destroying" the organisation by playing "gutter politics."

The decision, posted on AAP website, said the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) has dissolved "all bodies in Maharashtra."

Reacting to the development, Gandhi, the most prominent face of AAP in Maharashtra, alleged that Kejriwal is determined to finish the party's root in the state.

"AAP people had entered politics by forming a party to clean the gutter, but unfortunately on the contrary, members got overpowered by the gutter politics," Gandhi said.

He took to Twitter to express his resentment and said "Beautifully functioning Maharashtra teams dissolved. Sad that politics has won!."

Beautifully functioning maharashtra teams dissolved. Sad that politics has won!

— Mayank Gandhi (AAP) (@mayankgandhi04) October 1, 2015

"Let the high command expel me from the party, but the truth is that the high command himself is hellbent to finish the party's root in Maharashtra," he said.

Gandhi had strongly spoken against removal of founder members of AAP like Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the PAC in March and said he will continue to raise his voice.

In a veiled reference to Kejriwal, Gandhi said, "It is now true that AAP has only one voice in the party. Whosoever, puts different voice, not matching with high command, he is kicked out."

"Two type of politics, one that works with the people on the ground and other that do chaplusi in Delhi. The second type has won. Jai ho.," (sic) he tweeted.

Two types of politics ~one that works with the people on ground and other that do 'chaplusi' in Delhi. The second type has won. Jai Ho !

— Mayank Gandhi (AAP) (@mayankgandhi04) October 1, 2015

According to the party, the decision to disband its state body is part of its process to restructure and strengthen the unit.

"In ongoing process of strengthening the organisation in various states, the PAC has decided to dissolve all bodies in Maharashtra," it said on its website.

National Secretary Pankaj Gupta will be in-charge of the state and under him a team will work on organisation building in the state. The new structure will take shape in a very short time. All party members are requested to cooperate with this team in organisation building," it added.

AAP's Maharashtra unit president Subhash Ware was not immediately available for his comment on the development.

However, party sources said the state unit has been in the grip of intense factionalism for quite some time with a section of functionaries resenting the way leaders like Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav had been forced out of the organisation by the central leadership.

A state executive member, who does not want to be identified, said Kejriwal is interested only in building the party in his home turf Delhi and has no interest in helping it grow in other parts of the country.