NEW DELHI: In another
setback for
Aam Aadmi Party, senior leader
Ashish Khetan has
resigned, just a week after another senior leader and member of AAP’s highest decision-making body — political affairs committee —
Ashutosh left the party.
Khetan was a close aide of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had appointed him vice chairman of the Delhi government think tank, Dialogue and Development Commission, soon after AAP formed the government with a brute majority. As DDC vice chairman, Khetan’s position was equivalent to that of a cabinet minister in the government.
Khetan denied speculation that his decision to quit the party was linked to a ticket for the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat being denied to him. “I would like to quell unfortunate rumours that my decision is linked to any desire for any seat. The party had asked me to contest the upcoming LS elections, but I turned it down. I continue to hold all my ex party colleagues in high regard,” he said in a statement.
The departure of both Khetan and Ashutosh at a time when AAP is gearing up for the 2019 elections is a dampener for the party. Khetan said that he “made the decision to quit active politics after much deliberation and in consultation with family and close friends and had informed the party leadership about the decision on more than one occasion.” Sources said he had emailed his resignation to the party leadership a week ago but did not make it public.
A former journalist, Khetan contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat and lost to BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi. In April, he resigned from DDC. By then, the pace of work at the commission had slowed down and Khetan had then blamed “different obstacles created due to lack of cooperation from bureaucrats” for the setback. Since then, Khetan’s involvement in party affairs had been on the decline.
Sources in AAP pointed out that none of the two has spoken against the party leadership and left with their goodwill intact. “They are valued colleagues and they have gone back to pursue different professions with grace and dignity,” AAP sources said, claiming that there are no disagreements or differences of opinion behind their exit.
Khetan said as much in the statement. “My personal decision to move away from the party and electoral politics should not be viewed as a reflection on AAP. I have received love and respect from the party and its members and volunteers. I will be grateful for that,” he said. Though Khetan had made it clear when he resigned from DDC that he wished to pursue a career in law, a top party functionary had then said at a press conference that Khetan would be given some responsibility in the party.
Sources in AAP said Khetan was also one of the few party functionaries whose names were considered earlier this year when the party had to pick nominees for the three Rajya Sabha seats, but AAP eventually sent senior leader Sanjay Singh and two outsiders to Rajya Sabha.
Former AAP leader Prashant Bhushan and disgruntled AAP leader Kumar Vishwas rued the latest developments, saying that the movement had been destroyed.
Khetan was a close aide of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal
