Embroiled in a deep inner-party crisis following voices of dissent aired by two of its key founding members – Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav – the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) first national executive committee meeting on Wednesday is expected to be stormy.

Amid reports that Yadav and Bhushan may be removed from the party’s strategic body, the political affairs committee (PAC), the rift became uglier after a media report appeared on Tuesday, disclosing Yadav as the source of a critical story on Arvind Kejriwal that appeared in another national daily some time ago.

The report was said to be based on a recorded phone conversation (without the knowledge of the journalist concerned) of a talk between a close aide of Kejriwal and the journalist, who said the story followed an ‘informal’ interaction with Yadav.

Kejriwal, national convenor of AAP and Delhi Chief Minister, tweeted in the morning saying "Deeply hurt and pained by what is going on in the party; this is betrayal of trust that Delhi posed in us".

He tweeted again: “I refuse to be drawn into this ugly battle. Will concentrate on Delhi's governance. Will not let people’s trust break under any circumstances." He is said to heading to Bengaluru for 10 days for naturopathy to treat his diabetes and cough after the March 4 meeting.

In the build-up to the meeting, media leaks of Yadav and Bhushan’s internal notes gave a peek into their criticism of Kejriwal criticising the ‘personality-based’ functioning of the party. Bhushan told a TV channel that there had been a "breakdown of communication" between him and Kejriwal.

"There is a great danger of AAP becoming a one-man show. We didn't form the party to make it like any other political party where there is a high command and one person calls the shots," he said.

Meanwhile, senior advocate Shanti Bhushan, another founding AAP member, who had criticised Kejriwal during the Delhi election campaign, took a U-turn and appealed to Prashant Bhushan and Yadav to support Kejriwal. 

In a letter written to AAP's national executive, Bhushan Senior said there should not be any rift in the party. 

"Party's win in Delhi election shows clean politics is accepted by all. AAP must spread clean politics to all parts of the country," some channels said quoting his letter.

Dissent within AAP is not new. The party, a conglomeration of disparate interest groups, has earlier too seen the exit of some of its founding members, such as Shazia Ilmi and Madhu Bhaduri. Both had cited disenchantment and a feeling of ‘not being heard’.

The ‘letter’ spat between Kejriwal’s trusted lieutenant Manish Sisodia (now Delhi Deputy Chief Minister) and Yadav last year was the first indication of dissent. Yadav, considered the ‘ideas man’ had charged that the party was falling “prey to personality cult”.

As the ‘party with a difference’ gears up to tackle with differences within, its biggest test lies outside -- with the people. After storming to power with 67 out of 70 Assembly seats in Delhi, the party can ill-afford to wither away the ‘second chance’ that it has got. 

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