AAP retains Kumar Vishwas, Amanatullah Khan suspended
NEW DELHI: The crisis faced by the Aam Aadmi Party concluded on Wednesday with the party placating Kumar Vishwas and suspending MLA Amanatullah Khan.
Vishwas was declared the in-charge for Rajasthan as the state heads to polls early next year. He emerged from the Political Affairs Committee meeting along with deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
“In difficult times I thank my supporters for standing by me,” said Vishwas.
Standing outside Kejriwal's residence, Sisodia stated that the PAC decided to suspend Khan for his comments against Vishwas. “A committee headed by Pankaj Gupta will give Khan a fair hearing and decide on his future in the party”, said Sisodia.
In the party's three-hour long Political Affairs Committee meeting conducted at the Chief Minister's house, a decision was made to give greater responsibility to Vishwas.
“He (Vishwas) will be Rajasthan's party in-charge as the state goes to polls next year,” added Deputy Chief Manish Sisodia.
This move came after Vishwas, in a meeting with Kejriwal and senior AAP leaders on Tuesday night demanded stern action against Khan who had accused him of being an ‘RSS-BJP' agent and plotting a coup in the party, said sources. The Okhla MLA on Monday resigned from the PAC.
Vishwas had accused Khan of being a ‘mask' and acting at the behest of a ‘coterie' surrounding Kejriwal. “Had Amanatullah Khan said anything like this against Arvind or Manish, he would have been shown the door in 10 minutes,” Vishwas had said on Tuesday.
Following an emotional outburst, on Tuesday, Vishwas threatened to quit the party. Kejriwal and Sisodia paid a late night visit to Vishwas's Ghaziabad residence to pacify him.
The three, along with party leaders Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh then went to the Kejriwal's residence. The meeting continued until late night.
Vishwas also appeared defiant despite the party's gag order of not talking to the media. “I will keep highlighting the mistakes of the Aam Aadmi Party and say what is right in the interest of the country,” he added.
Also, he said, “I have conveyed this to Arvind, Manish and I reiterate it today that I don't want to become chief minister, deputy chief minister or AAP'S national convenor. I don't want to join any political party or Swaraj India (political party founded by expelled AAP leader Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan). I don't know what you want to do, but I don't want to do this,” said emotional Vishwas.