In a sharp reaction to alleged rift in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Friday said it has now become completely clear the party has internally fallen apart even as AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has been trying to project unity externally while encouraging party leaders to speak against Raghav Chadha.
Commenting on the video message released by Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, Sachdeva said it is a proof that dialogue and democracy have come to an end within the AAP.
The comments from the Delhi BJP chief came in the wake of the AAP move to remove Chadha as the party’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. On Friday, Chadha released the video asking if it was a mistake to speak on peoples’ issues, the reason the party has cited for its action. He further asked why someone wants to prevent him from speaking up now while he has always been taking up the issues of the common man.
In a post on social media platform X, Chadha also wrote: “Silenced, not defeated.. my message to the ‘aam admi’, I have been silenced, not defeated. My message to the common man.”
Sachdeva claimed that removal of Chadha from the post of party’s deputy leader in the upper house and restrictions on his right to speak indicate that the AAP leadership lacks the courage to accept dissent as it fears criticism. “If Arvind Kejriwal had the moral courage, he would have engaged in dialogue with dissenting leaders or taken clear decisions. Instead, he continues to take steps that expose his weak and insecure leadership style,” he added.
He said when a Member of Parliament is compelled to use social media platforms to express his views by his own party, it reflects a troublesome internal state.
The Delhi BJP chief said this is not the first instance of dissidence in the AAP. Earlier, another Rajya Sabha MP, Swati Maliwal, had raised serious questions about the party leadership. Like Chadha she too is a prominent face of the AAP who appears to be distancing herself from the party. Recent incidents involving several AAP leaders and their disagreements further indicate that dissidence is brewing in the AAP.
Sachdeva alleged that under Kejriwal’s leadership, the AAP has now become a one person-centric organization, where neither freedom of thought nor internal democracy exists.
He further said that the principles on which the AAP was founded, like transparency, accountability, and democracy, have become a thing of past within the party. This is why one after another, senior leaders are either distancing themselves from the party or openly expressing their dissatisfaction.