
The crisis within the Aam Aadmi Party came to an end on Wednesday with the party placating Kumar Vishwas and suspending MLA Amanatullah Khan. Vishwas was made in-charge for Rajasthan as the state heads to polls early next year. Vishwas emerged from the Political Affairs Committee meeting along with deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and thanked his supporters for standing by him. “In this difficult times I thank my supporters for standing by me,” Vishwas said. Speaking to reporters outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, Sisodia said the PAC decided to suspend Khan for his comments against Vishwas. A committee headed by Pankaj Gupta will give Khan a fair hearing and decided on his future in the party, Sisodia said.
Earlier, Khan alleged that Vishwas was a “BJP agent” and accused him of actively courting RSS leaders. Khan blamed Vishwas for allegedly trying to usurp control of the party by trying to get a section of the party MLAs behind him. Vishwas refused to attend Monday’s PAC meeting at Kejriwal’s residence and demanded Khan’s expulsion. Khan stepped down from the party’s top decision-making committee and emphasised that he stands by what he had said.
On Tuesday, an emotional Vishwas told reporters that he would always work for the party as a volunteer and will never aim to become chief minister or deputy chief minister. He claimed that a few members within the party are conspiring against him.
“Khan is just the face of this conspiracy…there are others behind this. Let me tell all the conspirators…that I will not let you do this. I have told them 10 times, told Arvind, the party and now I am telling them through you… In all my life, I will not be the CM, Deputy CM or convenor. I did not come here for this,” Vishwas said during the day.
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On the same day, Sisodia hit out at Vishwas for using the media to air his grievances. He urged Vishwas to raise issues, if any, within the party forum. Kejriwal visited Vishwas at the latter’s Vasundhara Residence late on Tuesday night and left with him in tow. “We are going to my house for tea,” the CM told mediapersons.
The crisis in the party unfolded after the AAP failed to snatch control of Delhi’s three municipal corporations from the BJP. In the recently concluded civic polls, the BJP, despite facing incumbency, came out on top over rivals AAP and the Congress.
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