Yadav says AAP leadership violating party constitution

New Delhi: Dissident AAP leader Yogendra Yadav today hit back at the party leadership, accusing it of indulging in “gross violation” of the constitution and claiming that no party body was consulted when Arvind Kejriwal resigned as the Delhi Chief Minister.

In his response to the show-cause notice of the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC), Yadav questioned the locus standi of the panel saying since the National Executive (NE) meeting held on March 29 was illegal, the decisions taken in that meeting were also illegal in nature.

“Major political decisions were taken bypassing the relevant decision making bodies. No Committee was even consulted in major decisions like resignation of Delhi government in February 2014, diversion of resources to Varanasi and Amethi constituencies and the allocation of funds to candidates during the Lok Sabha elections.

“The majority NE decision (15 for, 4 against) to allow state units to decide about state assembly elections were not implemented till it was reversed in the next meeting. The PAC decision on the CM staging a dharna was unilaterally overturned by the CM himself”, he said.

“The selection of candidates in Delhi election this year was done without adequately involving or even informing the PAC,” Yadav said.

He said that this has led to an “undeclared Emergency” in the party. He also attacked Kejriwal and his “coterie” for gross violation of party constitution and has systematically removed all the opposition.

“The party's Leader and the coterie around him have repeatedly violated the letter and the spirit of the Party's Constitution. They have also systematically removed any person, forum or institution within the Party where these acts could be questioned and redressed. Therefore I cannot but laugh at references to swaraj and democratic procedures in the complaint that you have forwarded. Some of these gross violations that have led to a complete breakdown of constitutional order within the Party.

“In fact, when the leadership of the party indulges in gross violation of the letter and spirit of the Constitution of the Party, conformity to its diktats is an anti-party activity. Rescuing the organiation from this state of affairs is not indiscipline, it is the duty of every volunteer,” he said.  The party too hit back saying the rebel leaders had no respect for institutions in the party.

“Before reply reaches the Disciplinary committee,it reaches to all the channels, this is their commitment and resolve to respect institutions. I repeat YY (Yadav)/PB (Prashant Bhushan) are masters in shadow boxing and media leaks.

“They talk about respect for institutions. They will disrespect PAC,NE and NC as it did not decide in their favour. And now disrespecting NDC,” a party leader said.

Lashing out at the NDC, Yadav dared the panel to take action against Kejriwal for not toeing the party line.

“If your committee finds this indiscipline, what about dozens of other cases where the other leaders, including the National Convener, gave media statements out of line with the Party's position?

“If my talking about the party's “expansion” outside Delhi was an act of indiscipline, what would your “committee” say about the National Convener and CM's declaration during the Oath Taking Ceremony that the party will be confined to Delhi? Was that declaration approved by any committee? Will you issue him a Show Cause Notice?”

He also accused Kejriwal of personally supervising the signature campaign against him and Bhushan while on medical leave in Bangalore.

“He (Kejriwal) called up and sent messages to those MLAs who were reluctant to put their signatures on the petition. Will your “committee” carry out an investigation into this sordid episode?”

Like Prashant Bhushan, Yadav also questioned Ashish Khetan and Pankaj Gupta's presence in the committee.  “Is it not a scandal that those who are complainants, witness or interested party should sit in judgment over a case?” he said.

Responding to the party's charge of presenting the facts of National Council in a distorted manner, Yadav challenged the party to release the unedited footage of the video.

“If you or anyone has any doubts about what happened inside the NC meeting, why don't you order a public release of the unedited video-tapes from both the cameras?” he said.

He also defended his statement which drew parallel with party's move to curb dissidence as “Stalinist purges”.

“The kangaroo trials, expulsions, witch-hunts, character assassination, rumour campaigns and emotional theatre to justify such macabre acts - all this is so true of the Stalinist regime. I have always maintained that there is one difference - there is no Siberia for exile here!” the dissident leader said.