New Delhi: Prashant Bhushan, who on Saturday was expelled from the AAP national executive along with fellow dissident leader Yogendra Yadav, was on Sunday sacked from the disciplinary committee and replaced by a three-member panel headed by Dinesh Waghela. Kejriwal loyalists Ashish Khetan and Pankaj Gupta are the other members of the panel.
Reacting to the removal of Adm. Ramdas, Yogendra Yadav raised another issue of confrontation and claimed that the AAP national executive did not have the power to appoint the new lokpal. “As per party’s constitution, the national executive has no authority to appoint a new lokpal. Only the lokpal can appoint a successor.”
“Shocked to hear that a party built on lokpal movement has thrown out its own lokpal. Read Admiral Ramdas letter of yesterday,” Mr Yadav tweeted.
Adm. Ramdas, who expressed disappointment that the AAP had not informed him about his removal from the post of party lokpal, said last month he had been requested to continue for five more years at an informal meeting at Mr Kejriwal’s residence.
“It is with great surprise and sadness that I heard today from a reporter that the Aam Aadmi Party no longer requires my services as its internal lokpal. Various media reports have subsequently confirmed this news. I am disappointed that the leadership of the party did not... inform me first before making this decision public. I still await their phone call,” he said in a statement.
The former Navy Chief, AAP lokpal since its inception, was not allowed to attend the national council meeting on Saturday by the Kejriwal faction.
“I am surprised because less than two weeks ago the party publicly reaffirmed its confidence in me. At no point in my tenure did the party express to me any dissatisfaction with my service,” the statement said.
The AAP was upset with Adm. Ramdas for writing a letter to members of the political affairs committee and national executive last month in which he was critical of the party. He had highlighted the trouble within the AAP, had written about two camps emerging within the top leadership and had asked the party to consider a “one-man, one-post” arrangement.
Adm. Ramdas said his two letters — one written last month which snowballed into a controversy and the second, which was written on Saturday — were only intended to remind the members the founding principles of the party.
To counter any criticism over the removal of Mr Bhushan and Mr Yadav from the national executive, the AAP on Sunday released portions of Mr Kejriwal’s speech in which he had targeted the two dissident leaders. “When the whole Delhi stood behind us, some friends of ours cheated us. I am saying this with a heavy heart that when the whole of Delhi was with us, some friends backstabbed us,” an emotional AAP national convener said.
Mr Kejriwal said he had come under attack from his own people after the Lok Sabha results.
“After the Lok Sabha polls, there were many fights. My personality, my working style and my leadership was attacked,” he said.
