First came a letter written by the party ombudsman, Admiral (retired) Ramdas, lamenting the way the Aam Aadmi Party had been split in two camps. Then, two notes written by Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav made their way to the media, asking for inner party democracy and flagging off concerns over the personality cult built around Arvind Kejriwal. The notes provoked a sharp response from Kejriwal-supporter Dilip Pandey, who accused Bhushan and Yadav of conspiring against the Delhi chief minister. Now, another note has been circulated by party members close to Bhushan and Yadav, rebutting the allegations against them.

The Aam Aadmi Party is drowning in a war of words. But its leader is silent.

For Kejriwal, it was business as usual on Monday. He put up three tweets in the morning. None had anything to say about the turmoil within his party.

 

 

 

For a leader credited with masterful communication, who's used the social media in the past to paralyse Delhi, unsettle the country, and rewrite Indian political history, the silence on the growing rifts within the party is puzzling.

It is a sign that the guerilla has become Goliath, turning as risk-averse as conventional politicians.

In the morning, Yogendra Yadav put out a note on Facebook, where he sought to debunk the rumours, and defuse the tensions:



I have been reading and listening to the reports about Prashant ji and myself in the last two days. New stories are being created, allegations are being made, conspiracies are being found. I am both amused and saddened by this. I am amused because the stories are fabricated and silly. It looks like the people creating these stories have both time and imagination. But the intent of these stories and allegations saddens me. The people of Delhi have given us such a large victory. After a victory as large as this, it is time to work with a large heart on large issues. The country has invested much hope in us. I appeal that we do not belittle ourselves and the hopes in us by acting small. I can only pray for wisdom to prevail. Come, let us raise our hands, those who have forgotten old vows of solidarity...

But former journalist and AAP leader Ashutosh left no room for ambiguity when he put out a tweet where he described the recent turmoil as "decisive churning with the party".