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AAP leader Ashutosh meets Yogendra Yadav before AAP national executive meeting at Kapashera in New Delhi on Saturday. (TOI photo by Piyal Bhattacharjee)

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NEW DELHI: The fireworks started early on Saturday morning, hours before AAP 's national council (NC) meeting, when the party lokpal, Admiral Ramdas (retd), blamed the collective leadership for the party's "falling apart." In a letter to NC members, Ramdas said, "I hold our leadership collectively responsible for this-and for our failure to be able to rise above personal egos, to resort to leakages, the cheapest form of stings and spreading conspiracy theories which should put us all to shame." Ramdas's rebuke came after party secretary Pankaj Gupta on Friday asked him not to attend the NC meeting to avoid any "confrontation". "I'm surprised and shocked that the party which was born out of the Lokpal movement chose to keep its own lokpal out," Yogendra Yadav said about the direction to Ramdas.As the NC members started arriving in Kapashera for the meeting, Arvind Kejriwal's supporters shouted anti-Yadav slogans. Large contingents of police and RAF were deployed around the venue and NC members were allowed inside only after registering at a counter. Members who failed to show their identification, mobile number and SMS invites were denied entry. However, AAP MLAs and MPs walked in with only cursory verification. The recent spate of stings seemed to have spooked the party and all attendees were asked to deposit their phones and pens outside the main hall.Yadav protested with a brief dharna, alleging some NC members were not being allowed inside, but he went in after about 20 minutes saying he didn't want to be blamed for "nautanki'' (drama).Yadav said Kejriwal started the meeting with a speech targeting him and Prashant Bhushan rather than talking about the country or the Delhi government. "If anyone thought it was only people around him who targeted us and it's not his personal opinion, that illusion was broken today.''Sources said Kejriwal accused the duo of working to defeat the party, dissuading people from donating money to it and threatening to tarnish its image. "Meri peeth mein chhura bhonka in logon ne (they backstabbed me)'', he reportedly said, adding that only those desirous of AAP's success should stay with him. "Kuchh haar ki rajneeti karte hain, kuchh jeet ki. Jo jeet ki rajneeti karna chahte hain woh hamare saath rahein."Without naming founder member Shanti Bhushan, Kejriwal said a senior figure in AAP had said that BJP candidate Kiran Bedi would make a better CM, hurting the party's chances days before the Delhi elections. "Provoked by this, 10 people got up and started shouting 'gaddaron ko hatao' (oust the traitors) and moved forward seemingly to attack Shantiji,'' Yadav said.Kejriwal's supporters cheered every time he punctuated the charges against Bhushan-Yadav with "Kyon, sahi bol raha hoon na (don't you agree)?" He worked up his supporters into a frenzy by saying he was ready to resign and they could choose between him and Bhushan-Yadav. Yadav called it an "orchestrated performance".NC member from Mewat (Haryana) Ramzan Choudhury stood up to say that both sides should be heard before a decision but, he alleged, 4-5 "bouncers" dragged him out of the meeting hall. "I was kicked on my leg and I think it has broken. I was also punched till some members came to my rescue...I am ashamed of my party." Another NC member, Sanjeev Walia, also claimed to have been roughed up.Then Kejriwal announced that Political Affairs Committee member and Delhi minister Gopal Rai would chair the meet. "This was an unconstitutional move. If the national convener does not chair the meeting, the council must decide who will,'' Ajit Jha said. Jha and Yadav tried to raise a point of order but were physically restrained from approaching the stage. "Rai sat like a statue...when I told him this was unconstitutional, he said it had to be given in writing. But by the time I could write down...Manish Sisodia had already reached the stage and announced that he had a resolution for our expulsion from the NE with 167 signatories. Before we could react, he asked for a show of hands and the voting was underway. When this happened we walked out, but many members were stopped and, as if on cue, sloganeering against us began outside,'' Yadav said.AAP denied these charges, saying efforts were made to stop Yadav and Bhushan from leaving. "Everything happened as per procedure. If they claim the outcome of the meeting was pre-planned, how do they account for over 200 members voting against them? Every person who voted in favour of the resolution has signed it," said Singh.