Senior members make their point in exit

Some founder members have quit, saying there is no inner-party democracy

Over 30 founder members of the one-and-a half-year-old Aam Aadmi Party have already quit,  if their claims are anything go by.

One of them allegedly wanted a cabinet birth in the AAP-led government in Delhi. And some had problems with the party ‘parachuting’ candidates in the recent  Lok Sabha election.

Most of them went without causing too much fuss, though they expressed  dissatisfaction with the “lack of inner-party democracy”.

But former party leaders like Shazia Ilmi, Ashwini Upadhyay and Vinod Kumar Binny gave explosive TV interviews while making the same point.

The growing anger over “undemocratic functioning” was palpable when Kejriwal tried to lift the spirits of the demoralised brigade at a public meeting on Thursday.

Addressing hundreds of party volunteers, Kejriwal admitted that his party needed urgent restructuring. He also said the party’s decisions don’t always reflect the majority view.

 
While resigning, prominent party member Shazia Ilmi charged that AAP was being run by a ‘crony clique’ which took impulsive decisions.

She complained that power in  AAP was concentrated in the hands of members of the small parliamentary affairs committee.

“My decision to leave the party is triggered by the lack of inner-party democracy, especially from a party that constantly talks of Swaraj,” she had said.

But while giving a roadmap for the upcoming Delhi election, expected in October, Kejriwal told volunteers, “All major decision-making in future will incorporate the majority.”  

Founder member Ashwini Upadhyay, who publically rebelled against the party and levelled allegations on Arvind Kejriwal and the party leadership, complains that the ‘big four’ –  Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Yogendra Yadav and Sanjay Singh – dominate decision-making.

“There is also a lack of mutual trust and insecurity amongst them. Every leader has come from a different political background. So they try to recruit their own people,” he says, alleging that the top leaders are pushing their own people up the party rank.

He says the party was tricked into considering an iffy proposition by Congress on  government formation in Delhi. “After promising AAP support, it backtracked.

One of the senior party leaders had organised a meeting between Kejriwal and a senior Congress leader. In the meeting, the leader had assured outside support,” claims Upadhyay.

Hits troubled waters

After a major electoral drubbing, U-turn over government formation, resignation of senior party leaders like Ilmi and Air Deccan founder Capt. Gopinath in recent days, and the controversy over Kejriwal’s incarceration, AAP seems to have hit troubled waters before the upcoming Assembly elections in the city.

On the other hand, those who have left the party seem to have moved on. “Off to London now for a few days and then in the US for my niece’s wedding.

Taking a break. Already missing India. Jai Hind,” tweeted Ilmi, who remained unavailable for comment.

Upadhyay says he and other former AAP members and volunteers of Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption (IAC) may come together to start a 'non-political movement' on the lines of IAC.

“AAP forgot the agenda of corruption-free India and decentralisation,” he says.
He claims his group is in talks with Hazare, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, yoga guru Baba Ramdev and many other social activists.

“We will work for reforms in education, healthcare, judiciary, administration, police and elections.”

He says the new outfit will be called Shreshta Bharat Abhiyan, which translates as Great India Movement.