Is Aam Aadmi Party divided in Tamil Nadu?

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seems to have experienced a split, over the leadership row, at a time when it is trying to make a footprint in the state. Two  groups have claimed themselves as the real party, alleging each other to be unauthorised.

Anand Ganesh, the party's state treasurer, conducted a meeting in the new office last week and said that six committee members had been expelled from the party for rebel activities. On the same day, the other group with Ku Balakrishnan, who called himself as state secretary, said he received an e-mail from Christina Samy, the State convener, informing that he had been suspended. Balakrishnan was suspended with five others.

He and some others had been raising the issue of lack of transparency in the affairs of the party, Balakrishnan claimed. K P Narayanan, convener and four other office-bearers of AAP who was suspended denied this, the Party is United and we had some minor issue and he claimed that he continues to be in the Party.

However, Ganesh said that some members were expelled and it was a disciplinary action for the violation of code of conduct of the Party. He also alleged that the people who were expelled “have been put of with some other political party to malign the party.”

“We are very sure that some political parties are working behind this and I would say it is a local issue and it is a national party. One person suddenly cannot come up and say that I am the head of the party, because the party has its own system,” he said.

He added that Pankaj Gupta, national secretary of AAP, issued a press release that the Christina Samy is the leader and the Convernor for the Party in Tamil Nadu, under whom the State Committee is functioning and no other people can take responsibility. He added that there is no one man leadership in the party.

However, Narayanan, who claims himself as a convener, Chennai, alleged that the party remains united and there was an issue raised by a section of people against Christina Samy alleging that she used the party facilities to raise funds for another trust run by her.

He said that a two member committee from Centre is expected to come down to Chennai to sort out the issue in next few weeks. An earlier effort of the central leadership to sort out the issue, by sending two members to conduct discussions, did not result in a positive outcome, added Narayanan.

While Samy was not available for a comment, M Lenin, co-convenor to the party in the committee in which Samy holds the positiion of Convenor, said that the party expelled six members and the allegations raised by them against Samy are false. He said that the expelled members did not hold any organisational leadership position in the party.