Maha AAP founding member quits party

Opposed to the expulsion of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP), 350 party members in Maharashtra quit on Monday. The fissure was inevitable as supporters of Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan from Maharashtra had hinted earlier that they might resign and set up a new organisation or party.

“As many as 350 volunteers and leaders resigned from AAP today and more will resign as we take up the issue to more members to sensitise everyone about democracy being murdered in AAP,” Maruti Bhapkar, former state executive committee member of AAP unit in Maharashtra said. Mr Bhapkar led the workers in the mass resignation programme held in Pune. Mr Bhapkar had threatened to resign after the Delhi AAP expressed its resentment about the two expelled leaders for the first time in a core committee meeting.

Declaring its open support to Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan, Mr Bhapkar said, “We are now with Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan to strengthen their hands to float the concept of Swaraj throughout the country in its true sense. You could see the insensitivity of socalled leader Arvind Kejriwal, where a farmer died before his eyes and he went ahead with his political speech.”

Mr Bhapkar claimed that not only volunteers from Pune, but also those from Mumbai, Nashik, PimpriChinchwad, Aurangabad, Navi Mumbai etc. had travelled to Pune to quit the AAP.

However, senior AAP leader Ravi Srivastav played down the resignations and said that it was not going to affect the party in anyway. “Only a handful of party workers are leaving the party and that comprises no senior leaders or workers. I don’t think they would leave any impact on the party,” Mr Srivastav said.