Two AAP leaders suspended from National Executive for backing Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan

NEW DELHI: In continuing purge of dissidents, AAP has suspended two of its National Executive members from the party for attending a press conference held by rebel leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan immediately after they were expelled from the top echelons of the party.

The party sent the suspension notices to Uttar Pradesh leaders Rakesh Sinha and Vishal Sharma Lathe for openly coming out in support of Yadav and Bhushan.

Incidentally, Sinha who is an elected National Executive member, raised questions over the way its internal Lokpal Admiral L Ramdas was sacked and Bhushan was removed as the chief of its disciplinary committee.

Lathe had voted against the resolution to sack Bhushan and Yadav from Political Affairs Committee (PAC) on March 4.

Sinha and Lathe slammed the leadership for taking the punitive action against them without giving them any opportunity to explain their position. Both the National Executive (NE) members were present in a press conference held by Bhushan and Yadav on March 28 after the duo was expelled from the party's top decision-making body.

A senior AAP leader said the punitive action has been taken against the two UP leaders of the party for attending the press conference.

"Based on the complaint received by National Disciplinary Committee, and the discussion on it by the members of NE, NE has decided to suspend your primary membership pending disciplinary proceedings," an e-mail from party secretary Pankaj Gupta to Lathe said.