Updated
New Delhi, Mar 29 (PTI): The Aam Aadmi Party today removed party's internal Lokpal Admiral L Ramdas and Prashant Bhushan as the chief of National Disciplinary Committee, a day after the latter and senior leader Yogendra Yadav were expelled from the National Executive (NE).
At an "emergency" NE meeting here, the party removed former navy chief Ramdas from the internal Lokpal and set up a new Lokpal panel, comprising former IPS officers N Dilip Kumar and Rakesh Sinha and educationist S P Verma.
"All these people have given their consent to be part of the party's Lokpal panel," party's national secretary Pankaj Gupta said.
The AAP National Executive, while sacking Bhushan from the disciplinary committee, decided to replace him by a three -member panel headed by Dinesh Waghela. The other members are Arvind Kejriwal loyalist Ashish Khetan and national secretary Pankaj Gupta.
The removal of Ramdas came a day after he was sent an SMS asking him not to attend the National Council meeting to avoid "confrontation".
Miffed over the snub, he then wrote a letter to the Political Affairs Committee criticising the leadership.
Ramdas said he had come from his village in Maharashtra to attend the meet. However, he said he would not attend the meet to "honour" the party's request.
The AAP body also announced a committee that will take care of the April 22 agitation against the Land Acquisition Bill, when the party plans to gherao Parliament on the issue.
This committee comprises Ilyas Azmi, Prem Singh Pahadi, Yogesh Dahiya, Somendra Dhaka, Gurnam Singh and Kiran Vissa, which would decide on the details of the agitation programme.
The party has also formed a committee under the eadership of senior leader and PAC member Sanjay Singh to look into expansion of the organisation in other states.
Earlier Report
AAP releases video of Kejriwal's speech at controversial party meet
New Delhi, Mar 29 (NDTV): The AAP today released a video of party chief Arvind Kejriwal's speech that he delivered at Saturday's National Council meeting, which saw the expulsion of dissident founding members - Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav - from the party's National Executive.
In the 45 minute long video, Kejriwal is heard asking AAP legislators to make a choice. He says, "You have to select them or me. If you select them then I will step down from all posts and work as an ordinary party worker."
Addressing around 250 AAP leaders in a resort on the outskirts of Delhi, the 46-year-old Delhi Chief Minister said, infighting between the top leadership has been on for nearly a year. "Take the party, don't kill it like this. In the past one year, there have been fights in all the national executive meets. There has been screaming and shouting. Now you have to decide if you want to be with me or them," said Kejriwal.
In the video which was tweeted by AAP official Twitter handle on earlier today, Kejriwal is heard accusing Bhushan and Yadav of backstabbing him. He says, "I say this with sadness that at a time when the public has supported us, our own have back stabbed us."
A month long infighting between AAP's top leadership came to a head on Saturday's National Council meeting when the two founding members - Bhushan and Yadav - were voted out of the party's National Executive, a move they called "murder of democracy." They have not rule out taking legal action.
Later addressing a press meet both alleged the voting at the national council meeting was scripted.
Bhushan said, "what he (Arvind Kejriwal) has displayed is that he is willing to use his dictatorial powers to ruthlessly stifle dissent and stop any discussion. Unfortunately, I tried and failed in my efforts to curb his dictatorial tendencies and they have taken on a more ugly form."
"Members were not allowed in the meeting, and our supporters were trashed. When I asked Arvind to get them to stop, he sat like a statue," said Yadav, who sat on a dharna before entering the meet.
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