The rebel duo of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav today launched a scathing attack on AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and his coterie saying "some people have hijacked the party"
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal
New Delhi: The rebel duo of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav today launched a scathing attack on AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and his coterie saying "some people have hijacked the party".
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AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal
Addressing volunteers at a meeting, Bhushan said there were three options left before them, of which one was to free the party from the "clutches of this coterie", the second to form a new party and the third to start a movement.
"If a new party has to be built, then we should not make the same mistake. My personal belief is there are several issues which are plaguing the country. Communalism, environment, developmental model of the country...there should be debate, discussion. There should be a movement. If we achieve that then we can make it into a political party," he said.
Taking a jibe at Kejriwal, Bhushan said those who talk of Swaraj, don't practise or believe in it.
On the party leadership's warning against those attending the meet, the activist-lawyer said, "Those who raised questions were expelled from top party posts. Today I heard that we may be expelled for organising this convention. The message from the top is if you raise voice against the party you will be expelled."
Bhusan said he was not in favour of taking a legal recourse against his and Yadav's expulsion as it would only turn out to be "long messy fight" for symbol and money.
"Volunteers are soul of the party, which should be preserved," he said. adav, in his address, said that all attempts were made for a possible reconciliation, but it yielded no results.
"Earlier when there were charges (of plotting to remove Kejriwal as national convenor) against me, I thought to talk and clear the miscocneption. Then I gave evidence. When same charges cropped up again, I decided to ignore and stopped giving explanations as there was no logical end to the accusations," he said.
Slamming the party for one-manship, Yadav said no other party puts its leader's (Kejriwal) picture on its flag.
Countering the Kejriwal camp's charges that he and Bhushan worked for party's defeat, Yadav recalled an incident when four AAP leaders (Sanjay Singh, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh and Ashish Khetan) came to his house.
His wife had asked them to look her in the eye and tell her whether they truly believed he was working for party's defeat. "None of them could speak the truth," he said.