Bhushan expresses differences with Kejriwal

Reflecting his discontent about the functioning of the Aam Aadmi Party, senior leader Prashant Bhushan has written a letter raising questions about some decisions of party convenor Arvind Kejriwal who is now chief minister of Delhi.

In the letter, apparently written to members of party's national executive, Bhushan has raised questions about the party running a "person-centric" campaign in Delhi polls and not following some of its professed principles.

He has also raised questions about selection of candidates for Delhi polls and surreptious attempts to seek support of the Congress after AAP's first stint in government.

Bhushan said that the party has not come under the ambit of Right of Information though it had slammed other parties for not doing so.

"Far from bringing the party under RTI, we have not even put our accounts on a website. We have put out our donations but not expenses," he said.

Bhushan said according to his information, minutes of decisions of top committees were not maintained.

"The lack of recording decisions of NE/PAC (national executive/political affairs committee) has led to situations where decisions taken by the NE (about not seeking Congress support for forming government in Delhi after we resigned last year) were repeatedly flouted," he said.

Bhushan said as part of party's philosophy of decentralisation, it is for state units to decide if they wanted to contest elections but Kejriwal announced after taking oath as Delhi chief minister earlier this month that the party should not contest polls in other states for next five years.

"All this with one-person centric campaign which was run during the election in Delhi is making the party look more and more like other conventional parties," he contended.

"Running a person-centric campaign may be effective but does that justify sacrificing our principles," the letter said.

Bhushan also said there was need of empowered committee to decide how the funds are spent.

Referring to the hard work and sacrifice of party volunteers, Bhushan said: "We owe it to them and to us to ensure that we do not drift and become just another one-man centric party which is prepared to use any kind of means to attain power."