Differences in the Aam Aadmi Party were wide open on Monday with the leadership said to be preparing for a crackdown on dissidents like Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav at the national executive meeting on Wednesday when they could be removed from the party's apex decision-making body political affairs committee.
After the sacking of Prashant Bhushan as the Aam Aadmi Party's national disciplinary committee chief, Yogendra Yadav is likely to be next to face the axe as the party's chief spokesperson.
The Aam Aadmi Party's national executive on Wednesday decided not to have Yogendra Yadav in the party's key Political Affairs Committee, days after he and Prashant Bhushan questioned the functioning of party chief Arvind Kejriwal.
Yadav has hinted that he may float a new political outfit along with fellow rebel Prashant Bhushan
Prashant Bhushan on Monday said he wanted to meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to put an end to the row
Battling growing infighting, the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday went on damage control mode by deciding to restructure it and rejected resignation of its senior leaders Yogendra Yadav and Shazia Ilmi, who had attacked Arvind Kejriwal for lack of internal democracy in the party.
The party sent the suspension notices to Uttar Pradesh leaders Rakesh Sinha and Vishal Sharma Lathe for openly coming out in support of Yadav and Bhushan.
Ousted members of AAP's PAC Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan rebutted the allegations of anti-party activities levelled against them.
Taking a jibe at the AAP, BJP's Shazia Ilmi said the party lacks internal democracy.
The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday said that three of its senior leaders -- Yogendra Yadav and Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan -- were working to ensure the party's defeat in the recently held assembly elections in Delhi, and therefore, this was justification enough to expel them from the Political Affairs Committee.
Aam Aadmi Party on Friday issued show-cause notices to rebel leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav for alleged anti-party activities, taking final steps towards their expulsion, even as Yadav questioned the move saying it was against the principle of natural justice.
In the third attempt in three days to sort out contentious issues between dissident leader Yogendra Yadav and Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, members from both the camps on Wednesday held a marathon meeting in sought Delhi.
A day ahead of a meeting called by dissidents Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, the Aam Aadmi Party on Monday spelled out its warning to party members that its top-decision making panels would determine what action would be taken against those found accepting the rebel camp's invitation.
Reconciliation talks between the two warring factions in Aam Aadmi Party appeared to have been collapsed with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal insisting on Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan quitting the national executive, ahead of the crucial National Council meeting on March 28.
The AAP on Monday expelled rebel leaders Prashant Bhusan, Yogendra Yadav and two others for anti-party activities and "gross indiscipline".
The warring factions of the Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday have shown signs of putting aside their differences with Delhi Chief Minister and party chief Arvind Kejriwal agreeing to meet his estranged colleagues Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav.
Senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, who were on a collision course with party convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, were on Wednesday voted out of Political Affairs Committee of the party, which has been rocked by dissidence in recent days.
Aam Aadmi Party Legislators on Wednesday sent a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, seeking the expulsion of party 'rebels' Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav.
In a sign of reconciliation between warring factions of the Aam Aadmi Party, senior leaders from the Arvind Kejriwal camp met Yogendra Yadav late Monday night and held discussions over several contentious issues, hours after the Delhi Chief Minister's return from Bengaluru.
The 350-member national council of the Aam Aadmi Party will meet on March 28 and it may potentially lead to the formalisation of deep factions within the two-year-old party.
The convention of rebel Aam Aadmi Party leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan began on Tuesday morning with volunteers from across the country terming it a day of "new beginning" even as the Arvind Kejriwal-led party warned of action against those attending the event.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav on Thursday said that his party had taken a decision not to discuss the proceedings of Wednesday's national executive meeting, adding that he and his party would keep fighting for their beliefs, both internally and externally.
The senior leader expressed shock and attacked the "manner of and intention" in removing Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the PAC
Dissident Aam Aadmi Party leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan on Monday hit back at the party leadership, claiming that it indulged in "gross violation" of the constitution and accusing national disciplinary committee members Pankaj Gupta and Ashish Khetan of accepting donations from dubious companies and doing a 'paid news' story favouring a company.
The AAP on Sunday removed party's internal Lokpal Admiral L Ramdas and Prashant Bhushan as the chief of the National Disciplinary Committee
Attempts being made to remove Kejriwal as the AAP's national convener: AAP spokesperson
'Arvind's face fell... He started to say something, but couldn't continue. He broke down and as the tears fell unheeded, he crumpled to the floor.'
The PAC expressed its concern over anti-party activities indulged in by Gandhi and Khalsa. Both have been involved in the activities of certain outfits, opposed to aims and objectives of the AAP.
Aam Aadmi Party founder member and former MP Ilyas Azmi on Monday quit the party citing "lack of inner democracy" in the organisation.
Aam Aadmi Party's internal Lokpal, Admiral (retd) L Ramdas, on Saturday said he will not quit the post even though he was asked not to attend the crucial National Council meeting for which he had travelled all the way from Maharashtra.
Vishwas also appeared defiant despite the party's gag order of not talking to the media and said he will keep highlighting the mistakes of the Aam Aadmi Party and say what is right in the interest of the country.
Reconciliation talks between the two warring factions in Aam Aadmi Party have collapsed following which two prominent leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan on Thursday accused Arvind Kejriwal camp of trying to force them to resign from the national executive and not heeding to any of their concerns.
Gandhi said that some disgruntled members of the party were trying to portray him as anti-party and anti-Kejriwal.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's ailments are a "classic case" of faulty and stressful lifestyle but he has been "detoxified" to a large extent now, a senior doctor has said.
Several former colleagues say Kejriwal is undemocratic. But his loyalists stand stoutly behind him
Amidst rumblings of a crisis within AAP, a letter by its internal Lokpal has pointed to the growth of two camps within the top leadership of the party due to an "abject breakdown in communication and mutual trust" and said it needs to make efforts to address criticisms over inner-party democracy.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal flew back to Delhi on Monday night after 12 days of naturopathy treatment in Bengaluru for chronic cough and diabetes, raring to resume work in the government and in Aam Aadmi Party which is grappling with growing internal rift.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was on Thursday admitted to a naturopathy institute on the outskirts of Bengaluru for a 10-day nature cure regimen for treatment of his persistent chronic cough problem and uncontrolled sugar level.
'I think the AAP is still in transition from being a movement to a political party so there is a mix of people who form the party. So there is somewhat of a overlapping and commonality of purpose.' 'Look at the way the government and party is functioning, not a single woman minister in the cabinet, or no woman member in the political affairs committee, it is all very tactical now.' 'After the 'sting' I decided to step back. I realised that my moral basis has been questioned by Kejriwal, it is truly despicable. He is around 15 years younger to me, I was aghast by his words.' AAP 'rebel' Prof Anand Kumar speaks of what went wrong with the party in the last few days in this interview with Upasna Pandey.
Can un-democracy be the foundation for a democratic party that aspires to be different from all other parties in India.