AAP's Rank and File Struggle to Understand Arvind Kejriwal's Apology to Akali Leader

New Delhi: AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s apology to former Akali Dal minister Bikram Majithia to extricate himself from a draining legal battle has sent shockwaves through the party's rank and file.

AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh has openly expressed his disappointment and maintained that Majithia “deserves to be in jail”. “Many people are unhappy (with Arvind Kejriwal's apology). I hope justice will be done as people like BS Majithia deserve to be in jail,” Singh said.

Sanjay Singh, along with AAP colleague Ashish Khetan, is also named in the defamation case filed by Majithia. Neither have apologised yet.

One section of the party now feels that the apology from its top leader would irrevocably damage both its image and credibility. Another faction feels it is best to put all court cases to bed. Speaking to reporters, AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha said it was “frustrating” to appear in courts day after day. Another MLA, who spoke on condition of anonymity, saw Kejriwal’s apology as a “sacrifice”.

The party’s Punjab unit, however, doesn’t see it as a “sacrifice”. A day after Kejriwal tendered the apology, the party’s Punjab unit chief Bhagwant Mann quit the post. The AAP maintains that the decision to tender an apology for “amicable” and out-of-court settlement was taken by the party's legal team. Sources, however, say the Punjab unit was not kept in the loop.

Speaking to News18 on condition of anonymity, an AAP candidate who had contested the Assembly elections and lost called the AAP chief’s apology “very disturbing”. “How can we show our face to the people,” the leader said.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who was made the AAP's Punjab in-charge, remained tight-lipped over the apology.

The party’s leadership is now adopting a wait-and-watch approach to see how events unfold in Punjab. The Punjab unit had been given a free hand by the Delhi leadership since the Assembly elections but has struggled to attain cohesion. It has now been thrown into further turmoil with Mann’s resignation.