Exclusive: Yadav-Bhushan Backers Speak to The Quint

Anand Kumar, Rakesh Sinha & Ilyas Azmi - AAP Natl Exec members who back Yogendra Yadav & Prashant Bhutan spoke exclusively to The Quint.

The stage is set for the removal of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav. But remember, there are six other members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) who voted in their favour at the National Executive (NE) meeting on March 4.

Subhash Ware, AAP’s Maharashtra Convenor

Christina Samy, AAP’s Tamil Nadu Convener

Ashawant Gupta, AAP’s Haryana Convener

Professor Anand Kumar, JNU Prof, AAP Founder Member

Ajit Jha, Senior leader, close to Yogendra Yadav

Prof Rakesh Sinha, Senior AAP leader

Apart from these six, senior AAP leaders Mayank Gandhi and Krishnakant Sevda abstained from voting altogether. Mayank Gandhi’s subsequent blogs have shown him to be a clear critic of Kejriwal and what he calls the decline of inner party democracy within AAP.

But these six senior AAP leaders have been silent, even as camp Kejriwal has hogged cameras to discredit Yadav and Bhushan. Will they also soon be shown the door? The Quint spoke exclusively to them.

The Six Who Differed With Camp Kejriwal

Anand Kumar had voted against the ouster of Bhushan and Yadav, admitting to “fractures within the core party members,” in the run up to the NE meeting, conceding that a “middle path” was needed. But as the cracks have widened, Anand Kumar has gone silent.

AAP’s Maharashtra Convener Subhash Ware and party member Rakesh Sinha also voted in favour of Bhushan and Yadav to stay in the PAC. Even at the risk of being labelled anti-Kejriwal, they told The Quint that they voted in support of what was “right.”

“What transpired in the National Executive meeting will remain between the party and us. But we are not afraid of being thrown out of the party. People like me form the party, so there is nothing to fear. But there are internal problems which need to be sorted out and we need to create a unified AAP again.”

- Rakesh Sinha

Both Ware and Sinha confirmed that since the National Executive meeting, they too are in danger of being expelled from AAP.

Ironically, from within AAP’s National Executive, the Quint has gathered the most scathing arguments against Kejriwal, from Ilyas Azmi. While Azmi did vote in favour of removing Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the party’s PAC, he is critical of Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and the campaign to expel Yadav and Bhushan altogether.

“As far as Sisodiaji wanting their removal is concerned, if a man wants to divorce his wife, he uses even her bad cooking as an excuse. So Sisodiaji is making excuses that Prashantji and Yogendraji sabotaged the Delhi polls.”

- Ilyas Azmi, Member, AAP National Executive

Azmi says it could have been pre-poll uncertainty that prompted Prashant Bhushan to make the remark about AAP bagging just 20-22 seats in the Delhi polls - a statement which he says was misconstrued by the party leadership.

At the heart of it all is a deafeningly silent Arvind Kejriwal, enjoying naturopathy on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Hope he is wondering whether factionalism will bring down the house that AAP built.