AAP party member Ashutosh today tweeted about his resignation from the Aam Aadmi Party. Citing the reason to be “very very personal” the leader bid the party farewell with which he had been closely associated since its inception. However, the AAP leader, Arvind Kejriwal has strongly opposed his action by ‘refusing’ to accept his resignation.
“Every journey has an end. My association with AAP which was beautiful/revolutionary has also an end. I have resigned from the party/requested PAC to accept the same. It is purely from a very very personal reason. Thanks to party/all of them who supported me throughout,” tweeted the ex-spokesperson of AAP.
Ashutosh described his association with the Kejriwal-led party as “beautiful and revolutionary” while urging the media to respect his privacy and not to chase him for ‘bites’.
Ashutosh’s resignation is being interpreted differently with some claiming that he was unhappy over the party’s decision to send a businessman to the Rajya Sabha from Delhi. Others claimed that this step was taken for being denied a Rajya Sabha ticket by the party.
Kejriwal reacted to this action by tweeting: “How can we ever accept ur resignation?,” and added, “Na, is janam mein to nahin”
Senior AAP functionary and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “We all will request Ashutosh to take his resignation back.” He, however, added that his relationship with Ashutosh as a “true and dependable friend” will continue lifelong. “His separation from the party is not less than a heart-rending incident for me,” Singh tweeted.
AAP has witnessed political turmoil over the years with several of its founding and initial members either tending their resignations or facing expulsions. In March 2015, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan were expelled for ‘anti-party’ activities. Following Yadav and Bhushan’s exit, social activist Medha Patkar left AAP. Journalist-turned-politician Shazia Ilmi and former Delhi assembly speaker MS Dhir also quit the party and joined the BJP over time.