Anger against Kejri may hit party's UP foray

Resentment brewing in Uttar Pradesh unit of the Aam Aadmi Party against its national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal could hit its efforts to make foray into the politically crucial state.

According to the sources in the AAP, several state leaders are not happy with the recent developments in Delhi and the way senior leaders like Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan and others were shown the door.

Sources said that some AAP leaders had decided to raise a banner of revolt against Kejriwal and senior AAP leader from UP Sanjay Singh.

Expelled AAP leader Vishal Sharma, who was the convener of the party in the Rohilkhand region in the state claimed that many senior AAP leaders could leave the party in the near future. “Many leaders are not comfortable with Kejriwal’s style of functioning,” he went on to claim.

Sources in the party said that the members of the executive committee of Sambhal district unit in the state had already resigned en-mass. “More such committees could resign from the party collectively,” claimed another senior AAP leader here.

AAP leader Sunil Lal had already written to Kejriwal asking the latter to return the party logo to him. “We had high hopes from the party. Our hopes have been dashed by the way democracy was trampled in the party by Kejriwal,” Lal said in his letter to Kejriwal.

Sources said that the state leaders are also not comfortable with Sanjay Singh. “Sanjay Singh is surrounded by a coterie. He does not listen to others,” quipped an AAP leader here.

The leaders admitted that the resentment could prove to be the biggest roadblock in the way of the party in its efforts to expand its base in UP and strengthen itself at the grass root level ahead of the next Assembly polls due here in two years time.

AAP had put up candidates at several seats in the state in 2014 Lok Sabha polls but barring Kejriwal, who had unsuccessfully contested against prime minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, all other candidates had lost their security deposits.

Meanwhile Yogendra Yadav, who was here, on Thursday denied reports that he was planning to form a new party.