Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan Call AAP Volunteers’ Meet Amid Speculations of Split

NEW DELHI:  Dissident Aam Aadmi Party leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan have a called a meeting of volunteers on April 14, sources said, amid speculations that they may float a separate political party.

Although removed from all key panels, both retain primary membership of the party. But sources have told  that the party is likely to take disciplinary action against them which may involve suspension or removal.

The meeting is expected to be held at the Constitution club in Delhi and will be attended by several members of the party’s national executive and national council, sources said.

April 14 is the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, who drafted the Indian constitution. The two leaders claim they had been pushing for internal democracy and had recently accused the party of violating its own constitution.

The party, the two leaders have said, is under a “Stalinist regime” where “only one man’s writ runs large”. After AAP removed its internal Lokpal, Admiral L Ramdass, and appointed his successor on Sunday, Mr Bhushan said the party had violated its constitution. He had been dropped from the party’s disciplinary committee the same day.

The party claims they are trying to dislodge party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. On Saturday, the two leaders were voted out of the National Executive following a stormy meeting.

In his address – a video of which had been released by AAP — party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had accused the two leaders of backstabbing and asked the participants to choose between them and him.

The bitter infighting, which had been on for almost a month, hit India’s newest party just after it came to power in Delhi with a historic mandate.