According to AAP sources, many are disgruntled with the party leadership for not delivering on promises made before the Assembly polls.
In a major blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the municipal polls in the Capital, Ved Parkash, party MLA from north-west Delhi's Bawana, resigned on Monday to join the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). Parkash cited AAP leadership's "high-handedness" as the reason behind the decision.
According to AAP sources, many are disgruntled with the party leadership for not delivering on promises made before the Assembly polls. "More people will leave if they don't get what was promised to them. It's natural that the MLAs who were not given Cabinet positions will expect other things to be delivered," a party official said.
Parkash's move comes at a time when all parties have started fierce campaigning for the upcoming civic polls. "I was feeling suffocated in AAP. The party has failed to deliver on the promises that it made during the Assembly elections. Nearly 35 MLAs in AAP are upset with the party leadership," Parkash said while addressing the media at the BJP office.
"The AAP leaders don't even take our calls. Once a minor was raped in my area, following which I tried to call Manish Sisodia but all in vain. Then I sent him messages but he did not reply," he said, adding that even if MLAs get to talk to the leaders somehow, they behave like Clinton (former US President).
Welcoming Parkash to the party fold, Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari said: "He has joined BJP as he was fed up of corruption and nepotism within AAP. Several other MLAs are in touch with us and they might also join BJP."
Meanwhile, unable to counter Parkash's allegations, AAP leadership blamed the BJP. "This is an old tactic of BJP. They are trying to manipulate our MLAs as they did earlier, ahead of the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections. But they should know that Delhiites will elect AAP with an even greater margin in the upcoming civic polls," AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.
Later in the day, Parkash wrote a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, mentioning the promises that AAP "failed" to deliver upon in his constituency. "No work has been done by the AAP government in Bawana in the last two years. They made false claims in the run-up to assembly polls," he said.
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