AAP national council member Qazmi to resign

Maqsood Ul Hasan Qazmi, a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s national council — the party's highest policy making body — will resign on Monday to express his displeasure over the alleged nexus between the party and certain corporate groups.

Qazmi, also the president of Imam Council of India, will hold a press conference on Monday here to announce his resignation.

“I know that a member of an influential business family is the source of all the documents and information used by AAP leader Prashant Bhushan. Mr Bhushan is using Mr (Arvind) Kejriwal on behalf of a certain group to settle scores in the business rivalry,” Qazmi alleged in a press statement.

He further stated Kejriwal only mentions two business houses in his public speeches as if they were the source of all the ills in the society — hinting at the party’s scathing attacks on Reliance Industries and the Adani Group. Qazmi said he would disclose more details in his press conference on Monday.

Qazmi also alleged that certain AAP leaders had links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

In the recent past, some seniors have left AAP. National executive member Ashok Agarwal had quit from all positions, stating the party was functioning like a “private limited company” and had lost its direction. Another national executive member, Ashwini Upadhyay, was expelled from the party after he had turned rebellious and started criticising Kejriwal and his team.