Delhi's ruling AAP today averted a major internal crisis today with senior leader Kumar Vishwas agreeing not to quit after he was placated with the suspension of its MLA Amanatullah Khan who had targeted the former.
The decision to suspend Khan from the party's primary membership was taken by the AAP's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) after an over three-hour-long meeting, a day after Vishwas had threatened to quit the party if stern action was not taken against Khan, an MLA from Okhla.
Besides accusing Vishwas of plotting a coup in the party, Khan also alleged that he was an "RSS-BJP agent". Khan had quit the PAC on Monday after Kejriwal expressed his displeasure over his comments against Vishwas, a founding member of Aam Admi Party(AAP).
Amid growing demand from a section of MLAs for a greater role for Vishwas in the organisation, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the PAC, the party's top decision-making body, has entrusted him with the responsibility of Rajasthan which goes to polls by the end of 2018.
After Vishwas' threat to quit the AAP yesterday, Kejriwal and Sisodia had visited his Ghaziabad residence to pacify him late in the night.
"The AAP family is united. Congratulations to all volunteers," senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said after the meeting at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence. The tweet was rewteeted by Kejriwal.
Vishwas for his part spoke of the need to ensure that the AAP, which was battered by a string of poll defeats in the recent months, remained united.
"On behalf of the party, I wish to assure the volunteers and office-bearers that whenever a need arises for a course correction in the party, we will sit together despite our agreements and disagreements.
"No one should have a notion that it is a battle for oneupmanship," Vishwas told reporters, adding he harboured no ambition to become the AAP convenor, chief minister or deputy chief minister.
He said some consultations that should have earlier taken place were now happening.
"I also thank volunteers for standing with me during this testing time," Vishwas added.
As the PAC meeting was on inside Kejriwal's residence, the mood outside was pensive and tense as volunteers gathered with a hope that differences between senior party leaders will be sorted.
As Vishwas and Kumar emerged outside Kejriwal's residence together and hinted that all is well within the party, volunteers cheered and raised slogans.
Vishwas had differed with Kejriwal on the issue of electronic voting machines (EVMs). He had refused to attribute the AAP's recent poll upsets to alleged manipulation of voting machines and had instead laid stress on the need to introspect.
He had also referred to the "communication gap" between the party leadership and volunteers.
Sisodia said the PAC has formed a three-member committee comprising the party's national secretary Pankaj Gupta, Atishi Marlena and Ashutosh to look into the statements given by Khan.
Reacting to this, Khan said this was the party's decision, but it was not mandatory for him to present himself before the three-member committee.
However, neither Vishwas nor Sisodia commented on the "coterie" surrounding Kejriwal which had come under attack from Vishwas yesterday.
Kejriwal, Sisodia, Vishwas, Marlena, Gupta, Sanjay Singh, were present at the PAC. However, Durgesh Pathak was not present at the meeting.
The fissure in the party appeared at a time when the morale of the cadre reached its nadir after the party's poor performance in Punjab and Goa Assembly polls and its rout in the Rajouri Garden Assembly bypoll and Delhi civic elections -- all in a span of less than two months.
The divide almost came to its tipping point yesterday when Vishwas said Khan was just a "mask", pointing towards a "coterie" surrounding Kejriwal, which was "hatching conspiracy" against him.
Several party MLAs, including a minister, were also seen to be backing Vishwas.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
