JOIN USThe Delhi civic electoral drub is unveiling the differences among the AAP leaders, with founder member Kumar Vishwas on Friday mincing no words in criticising the party’s functioning.
One of the immediate triggers was minister Gopal Rai, who was once removed from the transport ministry citing health issues, being given charge of Delhi following the resignation of Dilip Pandey and Ashish Talwar, who were handling the party affairs in the capital.
It is to be seen whether the outburst of Vishwas, who demanded widespread changes in the party, would instigate more leaders to speak up against the Arvind Kejriwal leadership.
Lok Sabha MP Bhagwant Mann has already found fault with the AAP’s Punjab electoral strategy. Besides Pandey and Talwar, Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak, who handled the Punjab elections, have also resigned.
All four were considered close to Kejriwal.
Hours after the political affairs committee (PAC), the AAP’s highest decision-making body, concluded its stock-taking meeting late on Thursday, daggers were drawn, with the poet-turned-politician questioning the way tickets were distributed in the civic polls as well as the earlier Assembly elections.
His comments on Rai also exposed the deep mistrust among the top leaders. While describing Rai as a “capable leader”, Vishwas did not hide the fact that the decision was thrust upon the PAC by Kejriwal.
“Arvind (Kejriwal) might have discussed it with the MLAs earlier. The PAC was informed about the decision. He (Rai) is a capable leader, but there are some others also who are capable,” he said.
Vishwas did not echo the EVM malfunction theory for the poll debacle.
“This is our sixth defeat because we were disconnected with volunteers. EVMs should not be blamed solely. We lost because people did not vote for us,” he said.