Differences emerge over leadership issue in AAP Tamil Nadu cadre

The party's central leadership likely to be in Chennai to sort out the issue in the next few weeks

At a time when the fledgling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is trying to establish its footprint in Tamil Nadu, it is witnessing differences within the party's state cadre.

The differences within the party's state functionaries emerged after two rival groups claimed themselves as real party members, alleging the other group to be unauthorised.

Anand Ganesh, party's state treasurer, conducted a meeting in the new office last week and said six committee members had been expelled from the party for rebel activities. On the same day, the other group with KU Balakrishnan, calling himself as state secretary, stated he received an e-mail from Christina Samy, party's state convener, informing he had been suspended. Balakrishnan was suspended along with five others.

He (Anand Ganesh) and some others had been raising the issue of lack of transparency in the affairs of the party, Balakrishnan claimed.

Meanwhile, KP Narayanan, claiming to be convener, and four other suspended office-bearers of AAP, had denied their suspension and said the party was united and there was a minor issue. He further said he continued to be in the party.

Contrary to this, Ganesh said some members were expelled and it was a disciplinary action for violation of code of conduct of the party. "We are very sure that some political parties are working behind this and I would say it was a local issue and it (AAP) is a national party. One person suddenly cannot come up and say that I am the head of the party," said Ganesh.

He added that Pankaj Gupta, national secretary of AAP, issued a press release stating Christina Samy as leader and convenor of the party in Tamil Nadu, under whom the state committee was functioning and no other individual can take responsibility. He said there was no one man leadership in the party.

However, Narayanan, who claims himself as the convener, alleged the party remains united and there was an issue raised by a section of people against Samy alleging she had used the party facilities to raise funds for another trust run by her.

He said a two-member committee from the party's central leadership was expected to come to Chennai to sort out the issue in the next few weeks.

An earlier effort of the central leadership to sort out the issue by sending two members to hold discussions did not yield positive outcome, added Narayanan.

While Samy was not available for a comment, M Lenin, co-convenor of the party in the committee in which Samy holds the position of convenor, said the party had expelled six members and the allegations raised by them against Samy are false. He said the expelled members did not hold any organisational leadership position in the party.