Suspended AAP neta goes on YouTube

Chicago-based Munish Raizada, who was suspended by the Aam Aadmi Party last week, has put out a YouTube video asking party volunteers to express their concerns regarding the forthcoming National Council Meeting on November 23.

He claims that the party has sent selective invites for the meeting, which is likely to make fresh appointments for the 21-member national executive (NE).

The last NC meeting in March had seen ouster of the founding members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the party.

“This is a crucial meeting because the current executive of the party will be completing its three-year term on November 25. And, the new executive will be elected. Through Lokpal.us we had raised a few concerns yesterday. Today, I appeal to all the party members, volunteers and well-wishers to become active on this and reach out to the leadership,” the former co-convenor of AAP’s Chicago-based NRI cell says in the video posted on Monday.

According to him, the recently launched Lokpal.us (www.lokpal.us) is supposed to act an internal pressure group within the AAP.

Earlier this month, the party had issued a notice to him for launching the forum without party’s approval. His suspension from the AAP’s primary membership followed.

Raizada also asked party members to ring up the party’s helpline number and contact local AAP leaders through phone calls and emails over the so-called inner-party crisis in AAP.

He said the party has sent selective invitation for the upcoming NC meeting.
AAP MLA Pankaj Pushkar, who in past has been accused of siding with the AAP’s rebel faction, confirmed he has not received invitation for the meeting.

“It demonstrates the way AAP has been functioning,” Pushkar told Deccan Herald.
Claiming that it is an attempt to scuttle the inner-party democracy, Raizada says, “The notification should be sent three days in advance. But as of today, seven of the NC members have not even been invited. The party is probably thinking that they can complete the quorum by invited just 33 per cent of the members.”

He demanded that the party leadership should organise a live telecast of the meeting for the sake of transparency.

“In all fairness this is a very legitimate demand,” Raizada says.
In March, Bhushan and Yadav had raised questions questions over fairness of that NC meeting, saying that it was “undemocratic”.

The two leaders had also alleged that their supporters were roughed up by party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s loyalists.

Meanwhile, the AAP has called Raizada a “disgruntled” party worker and said the Opposition is promoting him.