Caught on the wrong foot: Kejriwal heard abusing Yadav, Bhushan in new sting

New Delhi: It cannot get worse than this for the image of the Aam Aadmi Party. Arvind Kejriwal used abusive language against senior party colleagues Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav and there’s no sign of remorse visible as all his loyalists get down to the task of defending him vigorously. Ever since the full-fledged factional battle erupted in full public glare, this is the first time Kejriwal has been caught on the wrong foot. [caption id=“attachment_2177511” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. PTI[/caption] The audio tape – so far no one in the party has said it is doctored – purportedly recording him venting anger against the Bhushan-Yadav duo, Prof Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha is certain to make the National Council meet on Saturday an acrimonious one. The audio recording, made in a sting operation by Umesh Singh, an AAP volunteer, also catches Kejriwal saying that he is considering forming a new party with 67 AAP MLAs. Singh had visited him to urge him to settle all intra-party conflicts. The motive behind him recording the conversation is another matter though. Reacting to the release of the audio tape, Professor Kumar said he was feeling “ashamed”. “This kind of language does not suit to a public figure. I am running short of words to make any comment,” an emotional Kumar told Firstpost. Yadav refused to comment saying that it is the “conversation between two people and I don’t want to say anything about it”. “All I can say that the developments in the last one month have disappointed many. We are fighting to save the soul of the struggle that gave birth to this party,” he said. Dismissing the audio sting, AAP spokesperson Kumar Vishwas said, “Even children are abused by their parents when they are angry. It is a conspiracy. The visit was made intentionally to defame Arvind. He was provoked and when he lost cool, the conversation was recorded. Arvind must have used the foul language to vent his anger.” “Sir, aapmen capability hai ki aap sabko saath le kar chal saken. Modi ko rokna kisi ke bas ki baat nahin thi, lekin aapne woh kar dikhaya. Aapse logon ko bahut ummeden hain. Aap ka is vivad men nahin aana ghalat message de raha hai. Sir, please aap aa kar in differences to khatam kijiye. Main janta hun ki Prashantji jo baat kahte hain us par ade rahte hain. Lekin main yeh bhi janta hun ki aap Lok sabha chunav se pahle prashantji ko kaise manage kar lete the. Mujhe nahin lagta ki Prashant ji aapko replace ka ke leader banna chahte hain. Mujhe kahin koi problem nahin dikhta hai. Aap please involve kijiye. Please. [Sir, you have the capability to take everyone along. Stopping (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi’s winning streak was not an easy job but you did that. People have high expectation of you. Your non-interference in the ongoing controversy is giving a wrong message. I know whatever Prashantji says, he remains adamant on the issue. But I also know that how successfully you used to manage Prashantji before the Lok sabha elections. I refuse to believe that he wants to replace you as a leader. I do not see any problem. You please involve yourself (in whatever is going on within the party). Please],” Singh can be heard in the audio recording as saying. In response, Kejriwal can be heard as replying in extremely harsh and abusive language, “Main ladai jhagde karne nahin aaya tha. Mera interest nahin hai ismen. Aap chalao Aam Aadmi Party Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, Ajit Jha aur Anand Kumar ke saath. Meri aapko shubhkamnayen. Main ek nayi party banane ki soch raha hun agar zarurat pari to. 67 vidhyakon ke saath alag hona chah raha hun. Pichle char dinon se jo Professor Anand Kumar aur Ajit Jha ne kamin panthi ki hai. Hummen chamta kam ho sakti hai, lekin hum dil ke kaale nahin hain. Yeh saale kamine hain. Inhone hamen harane ke liye sab kuch kiya. Maine inki saari baten maani. Inhone kaha ki party ko RTI men lao, maine kaha thik hai. Ab yeh saale kah rahe hain ki main bargain kar raha hun. Yeh itne kamine log hain ki dusri party men hote to piche laat markar bhagaya jata inhen. Umesh, main aapse is issue par koi baat nahin karna chahta. [I had not come (to power) to quarrel. I don’t have any interest in it. You run the Aam Aadmi Party with Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, Professor Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha. My best wishes are with you. I am thinking of forming a new party if needed. I want to separate from the party with 67 MLAs. Professor Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha have done… (uses abusive word here) for the past four days. We may not be capable enough, but we are clean and honest. They (Bhushan, Yadav, Kumar and Jha) are idiots. They tried their best to defeat us. I accepted all their demands. They asked me to bring the party in the ambit of RTI, I accepted the proposal. Now, they are accusing me of indulging in a bargain. Had they been associated with other parties, they would have been kicked on their back and thrown out. Umesh, I do not want to talk about this anymore].” However, Umesh Singh alleged that the AAP chief is adopting “unfair means” to “capture power” and “stifling internal democracy”. “He is acting like a dictator. He is not ready to tolerate any dissenting voice. Everyone who will raise voice against his supremacy will be eliminated,” he told Firstpost.