Amid signs that his party might be in the verge of breaking apart irreparably, Arvind Kejriwal has started his damage control by trying to ease tensions within AAP.
Kejriwal said in a tweet on Saturday that Yogendra Yadav is a very dear friend and a valued colleague and that he would work with him to solve the issues he has raised.
He also said that he had plans to bring Shazia Ilmi back into the party.
Yog yadav is a v dear friend and a v valued colleague. Had long discussion with him....
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 7, 2014
Yog yadav has raised some imp issues. All of us will work on it. — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 7, 2014
We will also try to get shazia back
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 7, 2014
His tweets come as the party is holding a national executive meeting in Delhi on Saturday. Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal, Yogendra Yadav, Manish Sisodia and Naveen Jaihind were present at the meet, according to reports.
The anti-corruption stalwart and his party is going through the biggest crises as its most popular spokesperson Shazia Ilmi resigned the party last week and one of its prominent members, Yogendra Yadav is alleging the party to have fallen "prey to personality cult."
A leaked letter by Arvind Kejriwal's trusted man, Manish Sisodia to Yogendra Yadav accused him of "trying to finish off the party or Arvind Kejriwal." The letter provoked another letter being leaked on Friday written by Yadav to senior party members in which he described the AAP falling prey to "the disease of personality cult." This letter by Yadav is understood to have had angered Sisodia, prompting him to allege that Yadav is trying to tarnish the image of party and its leader.
Yadav's main contention appeared to be that although Arvind Kejriwal is the most important person for the party, the party cannot faction only on the basis of one person.
"There is no one who doubts that Arvind bhai is the undisputed leader within the party. He has richly earned this stature and we would not be where we are without his leadership," Yadav wrote in his letter.
"But there is a difference between a Leader and a Supremo. Love and affection for a leader often turns into a personality cult that can damage an organization and the leader himself. This is what appears to be happening to our party," he said.
Annoyed by this letter, Manish Sisodia responded with a letter accusing him of targeting the party chief and leaking internal matters to public.
"When you wanted to become Haryana in-charge and wanted to be projected as the CM candidate despite opposition from other PAC members, Arvind backed you. At that time he was democratic (for you). The state of affairs of the party in Haryana is in a shambles," Sisodia wrote.
Kejriwal had chosen to be mum on this subject and also had remained silent on the departure of one of his most important party members, Shazia Ilmi and another leader Captain last month.
In a news conference, Shazia Ilmi had claimed that the main reason why she has resigned is the lack of democracy within the party "that continuously talks about Swaraj."
