AAP expels rebel leaders Bhushan, Yadav and 2 others

Rebel Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan have been expelled from AAP for “anti-party” activities. Along with the two founding members, rebel leaders Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha have also been expelled from the party by AAP’s National Disciplinary Action Committee.

“Aam Aadmi Party expels Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan and two others for ‘anti-party’ activities,” AAP spokesman Deepak Vajpayee said. The expulsion of the rebel leaders comes hours after Yadav and Bhushan on Monday gave scathing replies to a show-cause notice accusing them of anti-party activities. “The kangaroo trials, expulsions, witch-hunts, character assassination, rumour campaigns and emotional theatre to justify such macabre acts — all this is so true of the Stalinist regime,” Yadav said in his reply.

Bhushan said: “I am not aware as to who has constituted this National Disciplinary Committee and when and how this was done.” The two leaders were served notice last week after they launched a “Swaraj Abhiyan (self-rule campaign),” seen by many as a prelude to a breakaway party.

They both had called the disciplinary committee illegal. Bhushan headed the panel until he was removed last month. Targeting two of its members, Pankaj Gupta and Ashish Khetan, Bhushan had said, “You had complained against me and now want to become judges of your cause.”

He had said Ashish Khetan, a former journalist, had been accused of “writing a planted story for Tehelka in defence of the Essar Company,” which was charge-sheeted by the CBI in the 2G spectrum scam.

Meanwhile, AAP in response said that Ministry of Home Affairs had given a clean chit to the donations of AAP. “They are making fun of themselves when they are making such charges. Ashish Kehtan does not need the certificate of media on his journalism,” said AAP leader Ashutosh.

Ashutosh added that the members do have freedom of expression, but no organisation will allow when its volunteers are asked to respond to a questionnaire, which talks about forming a new political party.