'AAP is not the Bhagavad Gita that we cannot leave': Infighting in Kejriwal's party surfaces in Punjab
Rebellion is proving to be a spoiler in AAP's preparations for the 2017 Assembly elections in Punjab which are going on in full swing drawing impressive crowds.
One suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP in Punjab has threatened to switch sides or float a party. Another such MP will next month form a forum for volunteers who believe in the 'right brand of politics.' And Swaraj Abhiyan -floated by expelled leader Yogendra Yadav and others - is looking up to these two Members of Parliament for 'alternative politics' in Punjab.
Rebellion is proving to be a spoiler in AAP's preparations for the 2017 Assembly elections in Punjab which are going on in full swing drawing impressive crowds.
AAP in August suspended Patiala MP Dharamvira Gandhi and Fatehgarh Sahib MP Harinder Singh Khalsa for alleged anti-party activities. Faridkot MP Prof Sadhu Singh has also said Yadav should be back in the party.
"AAP is not the Bhagavad Gita or Sri Guru Granth Sahib that we cannot leave. Is se to achhe Akali-BJP aur Congress the. I don't mind if our actions bring them back. All options from floating a party to joining one are open," Khalsa told Mail Today.
Gandhi has decided to form an Aam Aadmi Volunteers' Forum on October 4. "I will not float any party for now, but I'm keenly observing developments in Delhi and Punjab. I will decide on the future course in the next few months depending upon how much force we gather to pursue the right brand of politics," he said.
AAP did really well in Punjab in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. It got 25 per cent vote share, all four winners were from the state. The fourth MP Bhagwant Singh Mann (Sangrur), is seen as a close aide of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.
The 117 Assembly seats in Punjab come under 13 Lok Sabha constituencies. Actions of two-three may not be a game-changer but can be influential. Party leader Durgesh Pathak said, "They (the two MPs) are free to do whatever they want. The party's disciplinary committee will speak to them and take a final call. Our rallies are drawing huge crowds. We're set to win," he said.
After their expulsion, Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan and Anand Kumar have formed Swaraj Abhiyan - a political movement that's supporting the two suspended MPs. "The people of Punjab want to get rid of the corrupt and mafia rule of BJP- Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). They don't want to go back to Congress.
But AAP's Delhi leadership is likely to foist same old discredited leadership. Our colleagues in Swaraj Abhiyan look up to the two MPs to provide a true alternative," Yadav said. In July, the party had also expelled Punjab leader Daljit Singh, when he spoke against senior leader Sanjay Singh and Punjab state convenor Sucha Singh Chhotepur.
After AAP's historic victory in Delhi early this year, Assembly elections in Punjab would indicate whether the party has the wherewithal to spread. The party's student wing's failure to win even a single panel seat in the Delhi University Students' Union elections early this month is not good news.
Responding to Yadav's support, Gandhi said, "Many people in Punjab are not happy with the Aam Aadmi Party. Had Swaraj Abhiyan been a political party, it could have been an option for many, including me. I'm still an AAP MP. For the time being, I'm going to stay with the party but would not compromise on its founding principles."
Unlike Khalsa, Gandhi does not want to end up helping the SAD-BJP combine or Congress. "They are our principle enemies. Aam Aadmi Party is not. I don't want to end up, by our actions, helping our enemies," he said. Khalsa has no allergy with other parties. "Each party undergoes changes. Congress has had a good run. BJP also had a good reputation during Vajpayee's times. Let them first expel me. I will move accordingly," he said.
Barring Punjab, the 2014 Lok Sabha elections was a disaster for AAP which had most of its 400-odd candidates losing deposits. AAP sees itself in direct fight with ruling SAD-BJP combine, trying to capitalise on anti-incumbency.
The party does not see a challenger in Congress which it says is a divided house. But AAP's own house is also not in perfect shape. Yadav says AAP is unravelling in Punjab not because of what Swaraj Abhiyan or anyone else is doing. "It is because of the misdeeds of Delhi Durbar. I suspect that by removing the existing leaders with spine, AAP's Delhi leadership is preparing the ground for a large scale import of middle and top level leaders from Congress and Akali into AAP," he said.