Headlines
'Kejriwal offered to quit as party chief'
New Delhi, March 28
AAP chief Arvind
Kejriwal's announcement to resign from the post of national convener and
his emotional speech were the "turning point" in the crucial party meet
which expelled dissident leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, a
party source said on Saturday.
A party leader who attended the
national council meeting told IANS that Kejriwal narrated some incidents
of "betrayal" by eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan which turned the
tables in a "divided house".
In his 25-minute speech, which was
interrupted by sloganeering and shouting, Kejriwal handed over his
resignation to national secretary Pankaj Gupta, saying he was ready to
resign if members wanted him to step down.
He revealed to the
over 300 members that it was at Bhushan's insistence that he refused to
furnish a personal bond in a defamation case filed by BJP leader and
union minister Nitin Gadkari. The court jailed him for a week.
The
leader quoted Kejriwal as saying: "When the judge asked me about
furnishing the personal bond, I looked at Prashant Bhushan. He shook his
head, saying no. He conveyed the same to the judge. I was not aware
that it will land me in jail."
"His (Kejriwal's) emotional appeal
moved the people and they voted overwhelmingly against the dissidents. I
was touched too. In fact, I was also undecided. Like me, some others
were not sure," the party legislator who was a minister in the previous
AAP government told IANS.
Apart from Yadav and Bhushan, two others -- Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha - were also removed for anti-party activities.