No internal democracy in AAP: Delhi Congress

Taking a dig at Aam Aadmi Party, Congress today said quitting of two key members Shazia Ilmi and G R Gopinath from the fledging party has "proved" there was no internal democracy in it due to which leaders were "deserting" Arvind Kejriwal.

Chief spokesperson of Delhi Congress Mukesh Sharma said Kejriwal's support base was "eroding very fast" because of his style of functioning and "theatrics".

"The resignation of Ilmi and Gopinath has proved there was no internal democracy in AAP. The party is being run by Kejriwal and his coterie due to which senior leaders are deserting him," Sharma said.

Congress has been targeting AAP as the party feels its vote bank has shifted to the new party which had made a dream debut in the assembly polls winning 28 of 70 seats. AAP did not win a single seat in the Lok Sabha polls but its vote share had increased from 29.49% to 32.9%.

Alleging that Kejriwal decided to go to jails to gain public sympathy, the Congress leader said people of Delhi have realised that the AAP leader was not concerned about them but was "enacting drama" to benefit in the assembly polls.

"The AAP has become a private limited party being run by Kejriwal and his coterie. People of Delhi will not trust them at all. AAP is losing support of people belonging to lower and middle class because of their mis-deeds," said Sharma.

Ilmi and Gopinath today quit AAP citing differences with Kejriwal's "jail politics" and lack of "internal democracy" in the party, which is battling internal fissures after the severe electoral drubbing in recent polls.

The simmering discontent in the party since its Lok Sabha poll debacle came to the fore as Ilmi, one of the founder members, announced her resignation from all party posts, claiming that a "crony clique" around Kejriwal was calling the shots.

While resigning from AAP, Gopinath, pioneer of low-cost air travel in India who joined the party in January, targeted Kejriwal saying a head of a party cannot indulge in "shoot and scoot politics" and questioned his refusal to furnish a bail bond in the defamation case filed against him by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.

At a press conference in Delhi, Ilmi - who had lost the Lok Sabha polls from Ghaziabad - said, "After much thought and deliberation I have decided to give up my membership of AAP and resign from all positions within the party.