Ranjit Mahanti
ARVIND Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered another blow on Saturday when two heavyweights- Shazia Ilmi and Captain GR Gopinath- leaders resigned from all posts in the party. While Ilmi, announced her decision at a press conference in New Delhi, Gopinath sent his resignation letter from France.
In a communication to AAP’s Karnataka conveynor Prithvi Reddy, Gopinath In his letter sent to the party’s leadership said, he was quitting “because of increasing difference with the party leadership and its ways.”
Ilmi was one of the founder members of the Anna movement and a popular TV presence but sources said that she felt sidelined when the party asked her to fight the Lok Sabha poll from Rae Bareilly instead of Delhi. Ilmi declined and was later given a ticket from Ghaziabad. She however lost badly to BJP candidate V K Singh.
Ilmi accused that party Chief Arvind Kejriwal of ignoring other leaders and being surrounded by ‘crony clique’. “I am quitting due to lack of inner democracy in a party that continuously talks about Swaraj (self-rule).” Ilmi told reporters.
AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in prison for the next 2 weeks in connection to a case of defamation filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.