Amanatullah Khan makes controversial remarks, resigns from AAP party post

Amanatullah Khan said that Vishwas was conspiring to break the party

A day after accusing senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas of conspiring to break the party, Delhi legislator Amanatullah Khan on Monday night resigned from the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC).

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is also the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national convener, had called a PAC meeting to discuss the issues that arose after the allegations levelled by Okhla MLA Khan on Sunday against Vishwas.

Khan reached Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal's residence, where the PAC meet was held, tendered his resignation from the PAC and left.

"Amanatullah Khan has resigned from the party's PAC and his resignation has been accepted," Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters after the meeting.

Vishwas, a founder member of the AAP, did not turn up for the PAC meet.

Sisodia said that Kejriwal was "unhappy" with both Amanatullah and Vishwas in so far in the way they raised the issue outside the party fora.

"In the PAC it was discussed that the party leaders including the MLAs should exercise restraint while making remarks," Sisodia said, while urging party workers "to believe in the party's leadership" and talk to Kejriwal before "engaging in such statements and remarks or issue any video".

He said that some PAC members expressed anger against what Khan said regarding Vishwas and his absence from the meeting was also a matter of discussion there.

"He (Vishwas) is also giving interviews, statements and releasing videos outside party fora and Arvind (Kejriwal) is hurt that some people are giving statements outside the party."

"I want to say that there's no need to give statements outside, if anyone has complaint against anyone else, then we all are here, Arvindji is here," Sisodia added.

He further said that such incidents would affect the party and the people of Delhi, noting that the AAP government has three years remaining and have a long way to go.

"We have to work on projects like CCTV, WiFi, schools and fix the health system of Delhi but because of these miniscule incidents, party workers get discouraged," Sisodia told reporters.

Vishwas had asked the party to introspect after party's debacle in the municipal polls.

Before the civic polls, the AAP suffered jolts in Punjab and Goa assembly election. While it failed to open an account in Goa, it didn't make much of an impact in Punjab.

Khan on Sunday said that Vishwas was conspiring to break the party and had asked some legislators to join the BJP with an offer of Rs 30 crore each.

Khan's remarks came after Vishwas in a TV interview on Friday has said the party won't hesitate in taking a call on change in its leadership after its poor show in Delhi municipal polls.

Kejriwal on Sunday has denied any rift with Vishwas after Khan accused the latter of trying to break the party at the BJP's behest.