Kejriwal comes to defence of Vishwas: He is like a brother

THE LOSS in the municipal corporation elections has revealed deep fault lines in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that party chief Arvind Kejriwal is trying hard to fill. A day after a section of the core party leadership took exception to senior leader Kumar Vishwas’s statements to the media, Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan circulated a message saying Vishwas was instigating other MLAS to rebel against the leadership and was trying to usurp the party.

Kejriwal, however, issued a warning to all members on Twitter. “Kumar is my younger brother. Some people are trying to create a rift between us. Such people are enemies of the party. They better mend their ways. No one can separate us,” he tweeted.

Vishwas had raised questions over the party’s poll strategies and indicated in TV interviews that he was left out of the Punjab Assembly polls and MCD elections. He had also said that blaming EVMS for the loss in elections was not correct — going against the line that senior party leaders had toed.

Vishwas also said there was a communication gap between the top brass and volunteers.

Khan, a member of the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) — its apex decision-making body — claimed that Vishwas has been calling MLAS to his residence and coaxing them to rebel against Kejriwal or to join the BJP.

“Vishwas is trying to usurp AAP and break the party. He is calling MLAS to his residence and saying that he should be made the party convener. Or else, they (MLAS) can join the BJP, which is ready to pay Rs 30 crore to each MLA. This is what (Swaraj India President and expelled AAP leader)yogendra Yadav also wants,” Khan claimed in a message circulated to the media.

(with inputs from PTI)