Sources say it’s a ‘pressure tactic’ by Khetan to get a Lok Sabha ticket. He dismisses talk of quitting, says wants to focus on his legal practice.
New Delhi: Just a week after senior party leader Ashutosh resigned from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), there’s buzz that another key member could be on his way out.
Former journalist Ashish Khetan, who led the AAP’s watershed assembly election campaign in 2015, has reportedly withdrawn from party affairs. A source told ThePrint that Khetan “has informed party convener Arvind Kejriwal about his unavailability for party work”.
“The party is worried that resignations of senior party leaders at a time when the party is gearing up for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls can be suicidal for the party,” the source added.
Talking to ThePrint, Khetan dismissed talk of his imminent resignation as a rumour.
“I’m focusing on my legal practice right now. All the talk about my resignation from the party is mere speculation. I’m still very much a part of the party,” he said.
In April 2018, Khetan had stepped down as the vice-chairperson of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission, a flagship initiative of the AAP government to promote “collaborative development”, after a three-year stint. At the time he had cited personal reasons to do so.
Also read: Aam Aadmi Party leaders reach out, but Ashutosh doesn’t want to return to party
Lobbying for a Lok Sabha nomination?
According to party sources, Khetan’s withdrawal from party affairs may be a “pressure tactic” to wrest a Lok Sabha nomination from New Delhi.
In June, the AAP declared in-charges for five of Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats. Those for the remaining two — New Delhi and West Delhi — will reportedly be appointed shortly. However, it is not clear whether these ‘prabharis’ will be the party’s candidates.
Khetan is said to have expressed interest in contesting from New Delhi, but Kejriwal has remained non-committal. The former journalist lost the 2014 election from the seat to Meenakshi Lekhi of the BJP by around 1.6 lakh votes.
Khetan joined the party in 2014.
The party has been hit by a series of setbacks of late, beginning with grumbles in Punjab over Kejriwal’s apology to Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, whom he had accused of involvement in the state’s drug racket, earlier this year.
Also read: Some expelled, some resigned: Ashutosh joins a long list of leaders who’ve left AAP
Just recently, former Punjab leader of the opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira mounted a rebellion against Delhi AAP’s “interference” in the state’s affairs, while Ashutosh resigned last week.
Many senior leaders of the party, including Kejriwal, tried to convince Ashutosh to take back his resignation, but he didn’t.