New Delhi/Bangalore: Two key members of Aam Aadmi Party Shazia Ilmi and G R Gopinath today quit citing differences with Arvind Kejriwal's “jail politics” and lack of “internal democracy” in the party, which is battling internal fissures after the severe electoral drubbing in recent polls.
The simmering discontent in the fledgling party since its Lok Sabha poll debacle came to the fore as Ilmi, one of the founder members, announced her resignation from all party posts, claiming that a “crony clique” around Kejriwal was calling the shots.
While resigning from AAP, Gopinath, pioneer of low-cost air travel in India who joined the party in January, targeted Kejriwal saying a head of a party cannot indulge in “shoot and scoot politics” and questioned his refusal to furnish a bail bond in the defamation case filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.
At a press conference in Delhi, Ilmi - who had lost the Lok Sabha polls from Ghaziabad - said, “After much thought and deliberation I have decided to give up my membership of AAP and resign from all positions within the party.
“My decision to leave the party is triggered by the lack of inner-party democracy, especially from a party that constantly talks of Swaraj (where everyone has a say in decision making),” she said.
