New Delhi: Apparently upset over their expulsion from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its founder-leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav on Tuesday said that they made a huge mistake in not judging the true colours of Arvind Kejriwal.

Both Yadav and Bhushan reportedly said that they were “badly hurt” by last night's decision of AAP's national disciplinary committee, which also expelled two other rebel leaders Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha for alleged “anti-party activities and gross indiscipline" besides them.

"I am not surprised as from the past few days the matter had been moving in such direction. Though I also cannot deny the fact that I am deeply hurt by it. How would you feel if someone drags and throws you out of your own house," Yadav was quoted as saying by the media.

Speaking to reporters today, Yadav said, “Today, thousands of people who joined AAP are feeling cheated. How come two persons who are a party to the dispute are judges? Does it conform to the natural spirit of justice.”

Yadav, however, said that he is now at peace and determined to continue the 'Swaraj movement' in future.

“We need to go forward from here. Some people need to retain the spirit with which we started some years back. We will start our revolution afresh. Incidents like this only strengthen my resolve. We need to connect with more people, get new ideas... we shall go ahead with that no matter what,” he said.

Yadav also categorically denied doing anything which would have weakened AAP. "I want to reiterate even at this stage that we never left the party, nor have we broken it," Yadav said.

It is our duty to take AAP's spirit forward. During the 'Swaraj Samvad' in Gurgaon it was unanimously decided that we will not walk out of AAP on our own as it's our home, Yadav said.

However, he ruled out the possibility of floating a new political outfit to counter Kejriwal's AAP in near future. “It's too early to take a decision on forming a new party,” Yadav said. "We have not got any expulsion letter from the party till now. But even before that in a meeting Monday evening, all four of us had decided to split away from the Aam Aadmi Party," Yadav told reporters.

Lashing out at AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Shanti Bhushan, father of Prashant Bhushan, today said, "We made a mistake in judging Arvind Kejriwal. It was a very serious mistake. He is the new Hitler."

The senior Bhushan further said, “I am wondering why they have not removed me from AAP as yet.”

In another press briefing, Shanti Bhushan's son Prashant made a scathing attack on Arvind Kejriwal and called him a dictator, who has turned AAP into a Khap Panchayat.

Lashing out at the AAP leadership, Prashant Bhushan said, “The party has not responded to our argument and failed to elaborate on what basis they have acted against us.”

The decision to expel us is against the principle of natural justice. Those who had made serious allegations against us are themselves under scanner for alleged misconduct. Why has the AAP leadership failed to take action against them, he asked.

Prashnt Bhushan stated that his colleagues had no vested interests and they only wanted to save the spirit of AAP.

Coming down heavily on AAP leaders, Prashant Bhushan said, “Tragically AAP has become a Khap Panchayat now, in which there is a dictator who issues diktats and others just follow suit.”

Commenting on the way AAP has been functioning, the noted lawyer said, “They have removed the party's Lokpal, former Naval chief Admiral Ramdas, who was deliberately kept away from attending the AAP National Executive and other proceedings. They have also appointed a new Lokpal without consulting the former, which is against the founding principles of the party. No one cares about the party's constitution and there is no democracy and transparency.”



The senior apex court lawyer said that that could have gone to court against the treatment meted out to him and his like-minded colleagues by AAP but would not do so.

“Today, the basic question before us is can we afford to waste our precious time and energy in fighting legal battle in court or shall we devote our time and energy for a better cause like bring a systemic change in the country, electoral reform etc. There are issues involving entire country, public interest and sentiments of lakhs of volunteers,” Prashant said.

“Finally, the two-month drama has ended now. It was all scripted by Kejriwal and his small coterie of leaders who now control the party. It all started two months back when we were removed from the Political Affairs Committee then National Executive and now from party, “ he added.

However, he said that all this can't deter them from continuing their good work of mobilising people for a paradigm change in the political system. Like his colleague Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan too ruled out the possibility of floating a new political outfit in the immediate future.

The former AAP leaders were expelled late on Monday following their separate replies to the showcause notice for organising an anti-party meet in Gurgaon last week.

The National Disciplinary Committee met on April 20, at 6 pm at 514, VP House to decide on the complaints against Yadav, Bhushan, Kumar and Jha. On the request of the respondents, the committee had earlier extended the deadline for submitting their explanations by one day, that is, to 3 pm on April 20, 2015.

However, the committee received the responses of Yadav, Bhushan and Kumar while Jha failed to furnish his response within the prescribed time. The committee carefully considered responses furnished by Yadav, Bhushan and Kumar and found them unsatisfactory.

The committee reached the unanimous conclusion that Yadav, Bhushan and Kumar had indulged in ''gross indiscipline and anti-party activities''. They have violated the Code of Conduct detailed in Article VI A (a) of Party's Constitution.

The committee was of the view that Jha had failed to furnish his response in a stipulated time despite sufficient time at his disposal.

After examining the evidence put before it, the committee was of the unanimous view that Jha was also guilty of gross indiscipline and indulging in anti-party activities.

The committee, therefore, decided to expel all the four members from the party.

Earlier, Bhushan and Yadav described the party's showcause notice as a "pre-scripted drama where the outcome is already decided and well-known".

Bhushan accused AAP's general secretary Pankaj Gupta of accepting Rs 2 crore donation from shell companies and Ashish Khetan of writing a planted story in a national magazine defending a telecom company, allegedly involved in 2G spectrum scam.

He reiterated that the AAP's actions were reminiscent of Stalinist purges, where in the early years after the Soviet Revolution Stalin's acolytes were both the accusers and judges of the dissidents both in the party and the government.