After indicating a day earlier that he may quit the AAP, Vishwas yesterday attended a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the party at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence.
After his public outburst, Kejriwal called Vishwas on Tuesday night and the two drove to the chief minister’s residence to discuss the unprecedented rift between them.
Also yesterday, Vishwas was named the AAP in-charge of Rajasthan, where assembly elections will be held next year.
“The PAC has decided to suspend Amanatullah Khan from the party,” Deputy Chief Minister and Vishwas’ childhood friend Manish Sisodia told reporters after the PAC meeting.
The decision came three days after Khan alleged that Vishwas was conspiring to break the party and plotting a coup against Kejriwal at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Appearing before the media with Sisodia, Vishwas said he was happy that a dialogue among party members had resumed.
“I thank everyone for standing by the party in the last four-five days when the process of brainstorming started in AAP,” Vishwas said.
“I want to assure all the workers whenever there is a need to brainstorm and discuss, we will sit together even if we have differences,” he added. “No one should have an impression that it was a power struggle.”
Vishwas again insisted that he has no desire to become the chief minister or convener of the party.
Meanwhile, the AAP announced a three-member committee of party leaders Pankaj Gupta, Atishi Marlena and Ashutosh to determine why Khan made the allegation against Vishwas.
Sisodia said Vishwas had been given the task of strengthening the AAP in Rajasthan and the party “will fight election in the state under his leadership”.
Vishwas alleged Khan, who accused him of trying to split the AAP by offering money to legislators, was fronting for “conspirators” who wanted to see him out of the party.
And Vishwas made comments critical of the party publicly, triggering a spat between him and Sisodia.
Kumar Vishwas, Sisodia and Kejriwal are among the founder members of the AAP. Kejriwal recently described Vishwas as “a younger brother” and said no one will be able to separate them.
Vishwas has hinted that Khan is a proxy for Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh and other top leaders
There has been speculation periodically that Vishwas was quitting AAP to join the BJP ever since he had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few years ago. He said yesterday that he feels no need to apologise for praising the prime minister.
Vishwas meanwhile told timesofindia.com that he will stay in AAP only if the party cracks the whip on corruption and if decision-making within becomes more democratic rather than top down.
“There should be zero tolerance against corruption,” Vishwas said.
He has talked before about what he perceives as the party leadership being soft on corruption. Last month, in a 13-minute video titled ‘We the Nation’, he criticised the AAP government in Delhi for trying to protect its own allegedly corrupt party members.
Some people criticised him for that video he posted on Twitter. Not taking it down from Twitter was another condition Vishwas put forward for not quitting the party.
Meanwhile, the BJP dubbed AAP as a “team of losers”, and said their leaders are now fighting and blaming each other rather than working for people’s welfare.
“AAP is facing infighting as they have lost the (electoral) battle. Their main agenda of fighting corruption has been forfeited,” BJP leader Vijender Gupta said.
“They are fighting like a lost team, where every player puts the blame on the other teammates for the loss,” he said.
Gupta’s remarks came after infighting broke out in the AAP following its not-so-impressive show in the April 23 municipal corporation elections in Delhi.
He said all AAP leaders are now facing an identity crisis.
“All of them are now battling identity crisis. They all are fighting for their identity,” Gupta said, adding that fingers are being pointed at the party leadership.