NEW DELHI: Even as the Aam Aadmi Party seems to be on the path to self-destruction with top leaders engaged in bitter infighting and senior members threatening to quit, the fledgling party on Friday tried to dismiss the entire chaos, saying AAP is a democratic party where everyone is free to voice their opinion.



The party held its national executive (NE) meeting against the backdrop of leaked email exchanges between senior leaders Manish Sisodia and Yogendra Yadav, which showed the acrimony between the two.



Sisodia, in his email, accused Yadav of targeting AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and indirectly blamed Yadav for the party’s Lok Sabha poll debacle in Haryana. He also accused Yadav of humiliating the party by making internal matters public.



“An ugly fight between you and Naveen Jaihind has been unfolding for the last 15 days. It is saddening that you have made your spat public and involved the media. The party is being humiliated. Even sadder is the fact that you want disciplinary action against Jaihind. You didn’t get your way so now you have dragged Kejriwal into your personal fight. When you wanted to be projected as the Haryana CM candidate despite opposition from other PAC members, Arvind backed you,” the email read. Yadav was AAP’s Haryana in-charge while Jaihind was the state convener.



While both Yadav and Sisodia declined to comment on the email exchange, senior AAP leader Prashant Bhushan accepted that the party was facing certain problems. “In any new party, there are bound to be organisational and other problems. The NE met today to discuss all these issues,” he said.



Senior leader Sanjay Singh asserted that the party was united. “In a democratic party, there are problems because of differences in opinion. But the party is united,” said Singh after the NE meeting. Party leaders said that the issues raised in the email exchange between Sisodia and Yadav were discussed in the meeting.



On his part, Yadav in an email had said that the party was not following decisions of the PAC, the party’s highest decision- making body. After this, Sisodia chided Yadav for hinting that Kejriwal is behaving like a supremo and not like a leader. He has also criticised Yadav for advising Kejriwal that AAP should fight the LS elections across the country.



“There was about my from AAP Committee... should at main issues resignation.



AAP BIG GUNS SLUG IT OUT



‘SUPREMO KEJRIWAL’



“There was some confusion about my decision ( to resign from AAP Political Affairs Committee... So I thought I should at least spell out the main issues that led to my resignation. The heart of the matter is the decision making process within our party. Our party stands for swaraj, for bottom- up, participatory decision making... We seem to have forgotten that basic idea when it comes to decision making within our own party...”



“There is a widespread perception among workers and sympathisers as well as external observers that the party is falling prey to the disease of personality cult that afflicts all the political parties in the country. There is no one who doubts that Arvind bhai is the undisputed leader within the Party. He has richly earned this stature. But there is a difference between a Leader and a Supremo. Love and affection for a leader often turns into a personality cult that can damage an organisation and the leader himself. This is what appears to be happening to our Party.” Yogendra Yadav in a letter to fellow AAP members.



‘U- TURN SURPRISING’



“You and Naveen Jaihind have been engaged in an ugly spat for the past 15 days. It’s regretful that your fight has taken place under public and media glare. This is giving the party a bad name. What’s all the more regretful is the fact that you wanted strict disciplinary proceedings launched against Naveen Jaihind, and are now unnecessarily dragging Arvind into your tiff only because your demand was not granted...”



“Primarily, you have accused Arvind of not heeding the PAC’s advice. I was surprised to read this accusation in your letter. You liked and adored Arvind up until now as he was always supportive of you. For example, when you wanted to become Haryana in- charge and wanted to be projected as the CM candidate despite opposition from other PAC members, Arvind backed you. At that time, he was democratic ( for you). Now, just because he is not ready to support you in your spat with Naveen, Arvind has become a supremo for you.” Manish Sisodia in a letter to Yogendra Yadav.























































