I’d like to start by saying that I'm ashamed to have been part of this group which has compromised the ethics and values that we had conceived in the beginning.
On 28th November, 2017, Sushil Gupta quit Congress and joined AAP. And without much ado, the party selected him to be their candidate for the Rajya Sabha. Any person who thinks with logic and sense can figure out why this has happened — money must have exchanged hands. The candidature is surprising as it is shocking considering the party has stellar names to flaunt who are capable and competent. People like Meera Sanyal, Kumar Vishwas and so many other hardworking, dedicated people could have been given a chance. I fail to understand how and why someone who just turned away from Congress would be given a ticket. And that too a man who had fought from Moti Bagh constituency in 2015 and lost terribly.
Sushil Gupta’s business interest lies in properties. He has shown assets worth Rs 164 crores. The party, I'm aware, is going through a huge financial crisis. Donors have stopped giving money to the party and money has stopped flowing into the coffers of the party. The nominations for the Rajya Sabha only show that the party, in all its wisdom, must have thought that they could get money by selling the Rajya Sabha seat—which is what has happened here. And they need money to fight elections in the future. Coming to ND Gupta’s case, again, it’s not very difficult to put things in perspective. Considering that the party is grappling with the issues of funds and that over 35 Income Tax notices have been given to the party, they have now selected a chartered accountant who has absolutely no history with the party to send to the Rajya Sabha. If this is not humiliating for the party workers, then what is?
The sensible volunteers had already quit the party when Arvind Kejriwal had removed Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the AAP’s fold and took over the party in a dictatorial manner. Many still chose to stay back. Their hope was that that Arvind Kejriwal and his A-team would conduct themselves in a better way.
Today, AAP is acting like BSP and selling tickets to the Rajya Sabha, has broken the faith of thousands and it is my hope that the existing volunteers understand that the dream of alternative politics is completely over. I, for one, am completely ashamed that I was ever a part of this.
Finally, I’d like to say that the Janata party betrayed the nation and it took 34 years before another group was supported by the country. But looking at the way AAP is behaving, I feel strongly that for the next 50 years nobody will trust a new, idealist organisation. This is a tragedy for the nation and especially the youth.
As told to Aishwarya Kumar
(Mayank Gandhi is ex- National Executive member of AAP and author of upcoming book AAP & Down: An Insider’s Story of India’s Most Controversial Party)
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