The AAP has hinted at action against the rebels on Wednesday as the ‘swaraj samwad’ they held was not an authorised party event.

Ruling out an immediate end to the battle within the Aam Aadmi Party, rebel leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan on Tuesday said they would not quit the party but launch a non-political outfit called “Swaraj Abhiyaan” to work for alternative politics.

“We will not leave this party, it does not belong to a single person,” Mr. Yadav said at a meeting of some 4,000 volunteers, called a ‘Swaraj Samwad’, in Gurgaon.

He said the ‘Swaraj Abhiyan’ would fight for the rights of farmers, women and the common man through “protests and rallies.” The two leaders stopped short of announcing a new political outfit.

Stage set for removal of AAP rebels

The stage appears set for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to expedite the removal of the two founder members, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan. The AAP has hinted at action against the rebels on Wednesday as the ‘swaraj samwad’ they held was not an authorised party event.

“The message from the top is that if you raise your voice against the party, you will be expelled,” Mr. Bhushan hit back. Mr. Bhushan and Mr. Yadav, along with Mr. Kejriwal, were part of a close knit group that came together to bring an alternative style of politics to the country. However, things turned sour in the past few months, especially in the lead-up to the Delhi elections with Mr. Kejriwal accusing the two of conspiring against the party. While the battle between them has been portrayed as one of ideological differences, many see it as a clash of personalities and egos. Last month, Mr. Yadav and Mr. Bhushan were voted out of the party’s national executive.