They promised to change the grammar of politics but are stammering and fumbling before they could even finish their first sentence of clean politics. This aptly explains the situation of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the State which has been hit by regional squabbles, ego battles and fight for one upmanship.
The result: A divided house of many factions with some even threatening to form their own rebel party under the AAP banner.
The bearing consequence of the ongoing crisis is the inordinate delay in announcing the probable candidates.
Of late, the party meetings too are being marred with accusation and counter-accusation by the members and volunteers of the party.
A member of the initially constituted Telangana zonal committee which was later dissolved, C.Vinod Kumar, feels that party is not functioning democratically.
“I was part of one of the first committee that was constituted. However, a new campaign committee was formed later with a new team. Even though we are old members of the party, our opinions were not considered. We have been requesting the members to be more democratic as the party cadre is unhappy with the situation.”
Another member of the party, Ch. Bhupal Goud, announced a few days ago that in Telangana, he will field candidates on his own under the rebel banner in case the party is not bifurcated soon. His grouse is that the party is ‘hijacked’ by the members from Seemandhra region.
“We will not tolerate if Seemandhra members meddle in the party affairs in Telangana. They have no idea about Telangana on but are selecting the candidates behind closed doors,” Mr. Ch. Bhupal Goud charged.
However, the trouble seems to be far from over as the announcement of probable candidates may only fuel more discontent in the coming days.
An active member, wishing to remain anonymous, summed up thus:
“I am not sure how they are selecting the candidates. I have been working in my constituency for more than a year now and applied for the ticket but in spite of my work I am not being considered. In case, I don’t get the ticket I will work towards party’s defeat,” he said.
