New faces likely to emerge in AAP’s National Executive

According to the party’s Constitution, the National Executive has to be reconstituted every three years. The tenure of the present National Executive ends this month. The AAP came into being on November 26, 2012.

The founding members – Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, Ajit Jha and Anand Kumar – who were expelled from the party in April this year are to be replaced by new members.

Christina Fami, AAP’s National Executive member from Tamil Nadu; Mayanak Gandhi and Subhash Ware  also tendered their resignations from the body.

The National Council is the body of founding members of the party. The Council ratifies all decisions taken by the party.

Founding member and dissident AAP leader Shanti Bhushan, father of expelled rebel leader Prashant Bhushan, alleged that more than 40 National Council members have been served with show-cause notices and around 90 have not been informed about Monday’s meeting.

He added that he would take all resources, political or legal, to stop “disgusting” treatment towards party workers and might also approach the Election Commission in this regard.

Bhushan criticised Kejriwal for hugging Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad at the sweaing-in ceremony of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar a few days ago. He also accused Kejriwal of running the party “like a dictator” and turning it into a khap panchayat. 

Bhushan accused the Delhi Chief Minister of “mala fide intention”. A day before AAP’s National Council (NC) meeting, he said the party had sent him a notice, informing about venue change from Constitution Club to a motel at Karnal Road at the last moment, which indicates mala fide intention. 

“When I asked for a list of the invitees, they did not respond,” he said.

“The meeting being held tomorrow is patently illegal and full of mala fide intentions. We are members of the National Council of AAP and also the founding members of the party. We have been observing a fall in morals and values of the party for a long time and have proofs of the wrong-doing and illegal activities being executed by the party,” the senior Bhushan said.

Bhushan also called the party’s 4th National Council meeting in the national Capital as illegal and unconstitutional, alleging that the party had suspended 40 members to curb dissent without a valid reason just before the meeting. Sources said AAP had served suspension emails to its founding members. Bhushan said he would challenge the party’s move before the Election Commission and also in court to declare the NC meet null and void.