Live: Ramdas Athawale invites Bhushan, Yadav to join RPI

5.33 pm: Ramdas Athawale invites Bhushan, Yadav to join RPI Terming the ouster of Aam Aadmi Party’s founding members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from AAP’s national executive as “unjust”, RPI(A) chief Ramdas Athawale today invited the duo to join his party. “Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav had a key role to play in the magnificent victory of Aam Aadmi Party in the Delhi Assembly polls. Removing them from the party’s national executive is an injustice to them. I invite them to come and be a part of the RPI,” Athawale told reporters here. The RPI is founded on the principles of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, and thus, is party of the common man, the Rajya Sabha MP said. 4.50 pm: Bhushan, Yadav’s meet with AAP supporters begins in Noida Meanwhile the meeting between dissident AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan and other AAP supporters and party workers is underway in Noida. 4.47 pm: AAP is no different from Congress, says Venkaiah Naidu Slamming the Aam Aadmi Party over infighting, Venkaiah Naidu said that the party was no different from the Congress.

Greatly disappointed by happening in AAP, they are proving to be no diff than Congress culture: M Venkaiah Naidu pic.twitter.com/jFPJteO7w8

— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2015

Only leadership will not survive, you need to have an ideology& an organisation: Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu on rift in AAP

— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2015

3.20 pm: BJP, AAP shouldn’t drift from real agenda of development, says Maken Now the Congress has hit out at AAP and BJP saying the two parties, by getting involved in mud slinging, was deviating from the agenda of development. Party’s senior spokesperson Ajay Maken told the media:

Want to ask BJP and AAP to not drift from the real agenda of development by playing the blame game: Ajay Maken, Cong pic.twitter.com/UNqlmdUL76

— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2015

More from Politics

Is Shashi Tharoor’s breakup with Congress inevitable? ‘Naxalism will end in India by March 2026’: Amit Shah at CRPF Raising Day parade

Kabhi Kejriwal ji Mayor se ladte nazar aate hai,kabhi Haryana CM se,aur jab koi nahi milta toh apas mai ladne shuru ho jaate hai: Ajay Maken

— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2015

1.55 pm: AAP removes Prashant Bhushan from party’s disciplinary Committee A day after high voltage drama unfolded in Aam Aadmi Party’s National Executive meet, former AAP leader Prashant Bhushan was today expelled from the party’s disciplinary Committee. The party has decided to reconstitute the panel. It will now have three members, including Ashish Khaitan and Pankaj Gupta. Meanwhile AAP today announced the formation of a new committee, which will be headed by party leader Sanjay Singh and will look into  the organisational structure of the party nationwide. The committee will look into the party’s funding details, organisational strength,  and political status in every state. Even  Admiral Ramdass  has been removed from the Lokpal Committee. 29 March 11: 00 am AAP releases video of Kejriwal’s speech at Saturday’s national council meet The Aam Aadmi Party today released a video of Arvind Kejriwal’s speech during Saturday’s national council meet where dissident leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were expelled from the AAP’s national executive for ‘anti-party activities’. “There were attempts to weaken me, weaken the party. When I came back from Bengaluru, I spoke to members of my team and sent them the same night to speak to Yogendra bhai. From that day to day before yesterday (Thursday), we tried our best the problem would get resolved,” Kejriwal is heard as saying in the video. Yadav and Bhushan had on Saturday termed the decision to remove them from the party’s national executive a “farce and illegal”, saying they might seek legal recourse. Kejriwal in the speech made an emotional pitch with the volunteers, saying he could fight the opponents but not the party members. He also put forward his resignation in the meeting. “Everyday there were threats that if this wouldn’t be done then a PC would be organised to destroy the party. This isn’t democracy,” he said. Watch the full video below

End of updates on 28 March, 2015 4 pm: Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan harming party: Sanjay Singh Addressing a press conference, AAP leaders loyal to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh and Ashish Khetan took on the rebel duo of Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan blaming them of maligning the party’s image by washing dirty linen in public. “We have tried our level best to save our AAP family from any division. But it is increasingly getting difficult,” Singh told reporters in New Delhi. Targetting Yadav, Singh said, “He said that volunteers should have a say in party decisions, he said party should be brought under RTI, and we agreed on this.” Ripping apart Yadav’s claim that the party is not keen for a secret ballot, Singh said that the secret ballot is just a means to fulfill ulterior of Yadav. “The purpose of the secret ballot that they were insisting upon was to include people of their liking in the National Executive. These names were given to me in writing by Yogendra Yadav,” he said. Claiming that the duo have violated party code of conduct by attacking the party leadership in the media unreasonably. “They’ve tried to give an impression that Arvind ji and all of us are at fault and we didn’t agree upon any of the things they proposed. We had to come out with names so that they stop insulting us and our party workers. Is Arvind Kejriwal not taking care of the party workers and the party? Are we not working for the party? Yogendra also wrote an apology letter with his own handwriting but backed out at the last moment. In fact it was unanimously decided that we all would sign it asking for forgiveness from the people in general for all that had happened in the party for the last one month,” Singh said. Adding to that AAP leader Ashutosh said, “Outside they are insisting that there should be a secret ballot. But inside they gave us ten names and telling us to nominate them.” Addressing the press conference after Singh, AAP leader Ashish Khetan said the duo was not asked to quit PAC without any reason. “There was a reason why it was decided to remove two senior leaders of party from PAC. It was unanimously decided that internal matters of party should not be discussed publicly. When party was fighting an existential war, two party leaders were trying to weaken the party and malign its image,” Khetan said. Arvind Kejriwal-led front now holds presser 2.07 pm: We will resign from all posts of National Executive if they agree to all our conditions, says Yadav Yogendra Yadav has stated that if AAP makes announcements on all 5 issues raised by them, they will definitely tender their resignation. “When our demands are met, we will give our resignations from the posts they want us to resign from,” he added. “Party workers have been sending letters to me and Prashant ji, they want the party to be united”, he said, adding that they are still willing to talk to Kejriwal if he would take the time to do so. Is this a peace offering? Unlikely, given the level of allegations the duo have made against Kejriwal. Not only did they make personal charges against him, saying that he did not tolerate dissent, but the two also effectively confirmed the contents of the ‘sting’ operation that he wanted to form the Delhi government with ‘bought’ Congress MLAs. What the two are doing here is taking the moral highground. They are trying to portray they are the protectors of AAP’s morals and values, which are slipping away thanks to Kejriwal. Even the offer to resign once the party ‘values’ they have raised are restored, buys into that completely. 1.59 pm: Never wanted to be party convenor instead of Kejriwal, says Yogendra Yadav Yogendra Yadav now takes the mic again, this time to debunk rumours that he had wanted to be the national convenor of the party. “There are reports that I have been calling people up, urging them to make me party convenor, this is not true”, he said, adding that he had never wanted Kejriwal to be replaced. This had been earlier raised by Bhushan as well. “It was said that Yadav wanted to be convenor for Haryana, but it was they who used to raise such issues”, he said. 1.53 pm: Don’t come to NC if you are not a member, says Bhushan to AAP volunteers Bhushan ends by making an appeal to all volunteers who are not members of the NC not to attend the National Council meet, which contrary to the principles of the party was going to be held behind closed doors. “Earlier, all our NC meets used to be videographed, the last one wasn’t, despite our request. Bigger parties even allow the media inside their National Council meetings. We have asked the AAP national council meeting tomorrow to be held in an orderly way”, he said. “We have been told that MLAs have been asked to get to the meeting with 50 supporters each. I urge all the volunteers to not come to the meeting if they are not a member of the NC” 1.42 pm: Bhushan slams Kejriwal, says even Indira Gandhi thought she was saving nation The former leader is now talking about their personal issues with Kejriwal himself. “I had once told Arvind that you have many qualities. But you also have demerits that will ruin the party. You always want others to accept whatever decision you take. Then Arvind told me that I was never part of an organisation that my words are not honoured”, he said, before quipping that “even Indira Gandhi thought she was saving the nation by declaring emergency”. Ouch. What he is effectively saying here, is that Kejriwal has strong dictatorial tendencies.

[caption id=“attachment_2176757” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] “Only having a clean image or an intention is not enough. I told Arvind that you also need to have correct means to achieve your  goals. A democratic forum should have transparency, accountability and democracy” he said, adding that he had told Kejirwal that it was important for him to have PAC members who would stand up to him.

1.35 pm: We opposed Kejriwal’s plans to form govt with MLAs bought from Cong, says Bhushan Bhushan now touches on the recent controversy, where it came to light that Kejriwal had wanted to re-form the Delhi government with Congress support. “There was an argument whether we should form the government with Congress support earlier. In the PAC meeting that I insisted should be called five opposed it, four supported the proposal. Then as the National Convenor Arvind said that with the power conferred upon him he wants the party to form the govt with Congress support once again.

It is unfortunate as it is already out in a sting operation that the Arvind wanted to form the government by breaking the Congress party.  But we opposed the move as we did not want AAP to form the government with MLAs that were bought from the Congress.

1.3o pm: Why was Arvind so insistent on pushing us out of the party, asks Bhushan

Prashant Bhushan is focusing more on the recent turn of events, when efforts to come to a reconciliation between the two sides came to naught. As noted by Firstpost reporter Debobrat Ghose, sources inside the party say it has been a dialogue of the deaf from the beginning. While the Bhushan-Yadav camp has shown some urgency in patch-up efforts, Kejriwal, the man who matters most, has not reciprocated. And this is precisely what Bhushan is communicating. " We had messaged Arvind bhai on the day he returned to Delhi from Bangalore. We told him let us discuss the issues and iron them out. But he did not even reply in 11 days. Nor did he get the time to meet us”, Bhushan said.

“Instead he delegated some one else to meet us. Who was giving the orders to push for our resignation?  One thing that baffles me as to why the thought of separating us from the party has come to Arvind’s mind?

1.27 pm: Is AAP destined to be yet another political party, asks Kejriwal Yogendra Yadav warns that AAP is in danger of losing its founding values and principles. “Will AAP become yet another regional party? Will it treat volunteers the same way BJP and Congress treat theirs?”, he asks. “This struggle is to improve the politics of the nation, but the big question now is whether AAP has become a party like any other political party”. He also rubbished rumours that they had been trying to unseat Kejriwal. “The post of AAP’s national convenor is not even an issue, it was never raised by us”, he said. 1.21 pm: Our issues with AAP not personal, they are the issues party stands for, says Yadav “Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav are only names, the AAP is also only a name for the issues the party stands for”,  Yadav goes on to say, adding that the ‘rift’ was based on sticking to these issues, values and principles. “The central issue was the swaraj which we wanted for the nation to be incorporated in AAP”, Yadav said. “We had asked the AAP Lokpal to probe various issues. We also said that volunteers of the party need to be given a voice, and transparency should be brought in. We raised the issue that accusations regarding liquor confiscation, etc need to be investigated by party Lokpal”. “These are not personal issues, these are issues of a revolution in which thousands of people had taken part” 1.10 pm: ‘The hopes and spirit of AAP’s volunteers has been broken’ Yogendra Yadav starts by saying that the recent events in the Aam Aadmi Party are nothing short of a betrayal of the hopes, spirit and trust of the many volunteers that came together to take the party to the incredible heights it has reached since its formation. “The AAP rift was a struggle to save the spirit of the revolution which created the party. These are not personal issues, these are issues of a revolution in which thousands of people had taken part”, Yadav said. However he implies that there is still plenty of reason to be proud of AAP. “Even then, AAP is the only party discussing code of conduct, conflict of interest and internal democracy”, he said, reminding the people that AAP was born of a revolution. 12.55 pm: Yogendra Yadav to hold press conference shortly Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan are expected to hold a press conference shortly. This comes shortly after Times Now reported that the talks between the two leaders and Arvind Kejriwal had conclusively failed, and that senior leader Kumar Vishwas had met both leaders and asked them to quit. There is speculation that the two leaders may announce the formation of a new party. We will find out soon. The development comes soon after both Yadav and Bhushan sent a letter to Kejriwal. Read it below:

AAP rift widens as reconciliation talks fail The reconciliation efforts within APP have gone nowhere. Sources inside the party say it has been a dialogue of the deaf from the beginning. While the Bhushan-Yadav camp has shown some urgency in patch-up efforts, Kejriwal, the man who matters most, has not reciprocated. [caption id=“attachment_2176631” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Yogendra Yadav (left) and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. PTI[/caption] In fact, after his return from Bangalore he has not gone beyond making an expression of displeasure at the acrimonious attacks both factions have resorted to in public. Sources in the party say there has been no effort from his side to meet the dissenters duo. While there has been a series of private meetings involving peace-makers from each side, there has been no movement forward and the result has been conspicuous in its absence. Even the meeting of Admiral Ramdas, the party’s internal Lokapal with Kejriwal, has yielded no result. The pressure from volunteers across the country has not been able to break the stalemate either. There’s an informal meeting of many members of the council today in Delhi - most of them are from outside the capital state - where they are expected to raise serious concerns over the developments in the party. The members may be sympathetic towards Bhushan and Yadav, but there’s little scope for them to influence the decision on the duo that has already been made.