BackKejriwal’s absence takes toll on AAP
With a crisis in the party and a high-profile government that is only a month old, a lot is at stake for AAP
Premium(Sushil Kumar/Hindustan Times)
With a crisis in the party and a high-profile government that is only a month old, a lot is at stake for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)—but the absence of its convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is telling on both the party and the government.
From the ouster of senior leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the party’s political affairs committee to the latest salvo of a sting by a former party legislator, Kejriwal has been missing through it all.
The 46-year-old bureaucrat turned politician was admitted at a naturopathy institute on the outskirts of Bengaluru on 5 March for a 10-day therapy for his chronic cough problem and spiralling blood sugar levels.
“Kejriwal is always known to have a hands-on approach to things and he gets involved in every party-related activity. But in his recent absence, both the party and the government have taken a hit—without him neither of the two is actually functioning," a person aware of the developments, said adding that the Delhi Chief Minister has been “hardly accessible" to any of his close colleagues during the trip.
However, even before he left for Bengaluru, Kejriwal had already distanced himself from the issue of Yadav’s and Bhushan’s ouster.
He chose to stay away from the meetings of the national executive and the political affairs committee which took a position on the two leaders.
Kejriwal, set to return on Sunday night, will have to firefight a host of issues, including an upcoming national executive meeting of the party later this month, deciding on the fate of both Bhushan and Yadav, an imminent restructuring of the party’s political affairs committee and implementing the policy decisions of the Delhi government.
However, Ashutosh, a senior leader of the party feels the internal party rift has not affected the state government’s functioning in Kejriwal’s absence. “This has had no impact on the government in Delhi. A visit to the Delhi secretariat will show you that our ministers are all there. We have taken decisions on the grounds of water, electricity and corruption has also reduced compared to last month," he said.
Pretika Khanna contributed to this story.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
