AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says that he has averted the crisis within the party after giving Kumar Vishwas the charge of poll-bound Rajasthan, but party leaders are publically expressing their differences with him.
In what is being seen as the leadership’s resolve to further corner Vishwas, senior party leader Dilip Pandey recently questioned him for being “soft” on Rajasthan CM and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje. The party’s new treasurer, Deepak Bajpai, also asked Vishwas to come up with an explanation for “denouncing” party workers. Both referred to Vishwas’ recent public statements.
Vishwas has started preparations for the Rajasthan Assembly elections due next year, but his statements are annoying many AAP members. He recently said that the party under his guidance will follow the “basics”, based on which it was launched, and that leaders and workers will not stay in “five-star hotels” while campaigning as some did in the recent state elections.
“Stop pretence. Stop denouncing workers. You (Vishwas) should introspect first. If you are ashamed, then come up with an answer,” Bajpai had reacted.
According to party members, the leadership, including Kejriwal, is not happy with Vishwas for giving such statements again.
Unfazed by the criticism, Vishwas is holding meetings with Rajasthan volunteers and assuring them that “Delhi leaders will not interfere in their planning for the state election and they will have full freedom to take decisions.”
“How can he say that party leadership in Delhi won’t take decisions related to the Rajasthan election? It clearly shows that he does not want to work with the leadership,” a party MLA said.
After posters calling him a “traitor” appeared outside the party office, Vishwas hit out, saying he did not join the anti-corruption movement for “this palace politics”, and said he had no desire for the “throne”.
13 AAP MLAS BOOKED IN TWO YEARS
The Delhi police arrested as many as 13 AAP legislators in the last two years on different charges, but all of them are out on bail due to lack of evidence against them
TROUBLE AHEAD: DISQUALIFICATION SWORD HANGS OVER 20 AAP MLAS
The fate of 21 AAP MLAs (20 after Jarnail Singh resigned from Rajouri Garden seat), who were appointed as Parliamentary Secretaries by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, has been hanging for allegedly holding office of profit. In March, the Election Commission reserved its order on their plea that it should drop the case of 'office of profit' against them as their appointment has been set aside by the Delhi High Court.
The MLAs were appointed Parliamentary Secretaries by the Delhi government in March 2015. In June, the government passed an amendment to the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act, 1997 to exempt the post of Parliamentary Secretary from the definition of office of profit with retrospective effect.
President Pranab Mukherjee, however, rejected the amendment. In September 2016, the High Court set aside the appointments. The Opposition is eagerly waiting for the order as an adverse one will set the stage for bypolls in Delhi. There will not be an immediate threat to the AAP government as it will continue holding its majority in the Assembly.
The 20 MLAs are: Adarsh Shastri, Alka Lamba, Sanjeev Jha, Kailash Gehlot, Vijendra Garg, Pravin Kumar, Sharad Kumar Chauhan, Madan Lal, Shiv Charan Goyal, Sarita Singh, Naresh Yadav, Rajesh Gupta, Rajesh Rishi, Anil Kumar Vajpayee, Somdutt, Avtar Singh, Sukhbir Singh Dala, Jarnail Singh, Manoj Kumar and Nitin Tyagi.
MLAS & ARREST
- Somnath Bharti September 2015. On charges of dowry and domestic violence. He was again arrested in September 2016 on charges of assaulting a public servant.
- Amantullah Khan July 24. On charges of molestation, threats and intimidation.
- Jitender Tomar June 2015. For allegedly submitting forged degrees.
- Prakash Jarwal August 2016. On charges of molestation.
- Dinesh Mohaniya June 2016. On charges of molestation.
- Commando Surinder Singh August 2015. In a kidnapping case.
- Akhilesh Kumar November 2016. On charges of sexual harassment.
- Jagdeep Singh May 2016. On charges of criminal intimidation.
- Mahindra Yadav January 2016. On charges of rioting.
- Sandeep Kumar September 2016. On rape charges.
- Naresh Yadav July 2016. For allegedly ordering desecration of a holy book.
- Gulab Singh October 2016 from Gujarat. On charges of extortion.
- Manoj Kumar November 2015. On charges of extortion.
- Sharad Cahuhan July 2016. On charges of abetment of suicide.
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