Creator of AAP broom wants it back from Kejriwal

Upset with the recent turn of events in the Aam Aadmi Party, Sunil Lal - a volunteer who claims to have created the AAP logo - has asked party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to stop using the logo, while accusing the party of having lost internal democracy.

"I designed the logo which the party is using but I don't want them to use it anymore. I have not transferred the proprietary rights of the design to them. I was working for a party which stood for certain values but I don't want to be part of something where people like Sahi Ram Pehalwan are representing the logo I made. The events of the last few weeks have shown that we have become like any other party," Lal told MAIL TODAY.

Pointing out that AAP has lost its values and have become like other political parties, Lal shot off a letter to Kejriwal and other top leaders, asking them to not use the logo created by him while resigning from party's membership. Lal alleged the party does not have internal democracy.

"I was part of the IAC branding.com which was involved in creating flags, banners and posters for the Anna Hazareled anti-corruption movement. I made the logo and gave it to Kejriwal. The party should stop using the logo on any type of branding, stationary, website, badges, flags, poster, handbill and backdrops. It's not the same party anymore? the events of last one month show there is no internal democracy in AAP," he said.

However, party leaders remained unfazed and said it was an unimportant issue and Kejriwal is only focused on development. "Such people will keep raising one or the other issue every day. So many people gave so many things to the party. Tomorrow someone might say they fed us aloo-tikki and want it back. These are nonissues. Our focus is on development of Delhi. If required we will think about changing the logo but can't comment on that yet," a senior party leader said.

Lal's letter comes a day after a disappointed AAP supporter, who had given Arvind Kejriwal a blue Wagon-R car which became almost synonymous with Kejriwal's common man image, had said he wanted the car back along with the money he had donated to the party. Software engineer Kundan Sharma had tweeted, "#IDemandMyDonationBackFromAAP: My blue WAGONR, my Bike& lacs of rupees that I donated2AAP http://goo.gl/B9zB1d ."

But Sharma clarified that he did not actually want his car back and only wanted to seek Kejriwal's attention. "I am not that cheap to ask for the car or money back. I could not reach Arvind despite several efforts. By raising the issue of the car, which gave Kejriwal a true 'janta's CM' face, I thought I could catch his attention and my frustration could reach AAP leaders," Sharma told MAIL TODAY.

In a series of tweets, Sharma expressed that he was upset with the way things have evolved within the party, especially the internal rift which led to the ouster of dissident leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from party's National Executive.