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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday removed Patiala MP Dharamvir Gandhi as its parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha. He has been replaced with Bhagwant Singh Mann. Gandhi had been critical of the "dictatorial" and undemocratic manner in which the party was being run by Delhi Chief Minister and party chief Arvind Kejriwal and his supporters. On Monday, the AAP had expelled dissident leaders Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha from the party. They were among the founding members of the party.
The AAP leadership was angry with Gandhi, as he had questioned the party's decision to expel Bhushan and Yadav from its national executive. He had even walked out of the AAP's national council meeting on March 28 in protest and had sent a video message to the Swaraj Samvad convention, organised by the rebel camp.
Coming down heavily on the AAP leadership, Bhushan said the party was working like a "Khaap panchayat". Yadav trashed the proceedings that were initiated against them, questioning how Pankaj Gupta and Ashish Khetan who had complained against them, could sit as judges on the party's disciplinary committee.
Anand Kumar told Business Standard: "It's a tragedy. A dream of alternative politics has been wrecked by a handful of people who are drunk with power." Kumar, convenor of Swaraj Abhiyaan, said his organisation would work for the ideals of participatory democracy and a corruption-free society. AAP leader Ashish Khetan launched an attack on Bhushan, after the latter had alleged the journalist-turned-politician had planted stories favouring a corporate firm in a high-profile case.
