5 reasons Shazia Ilmi quit AAP – the party she co-founded

NEW DELHI: In a jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), one of its key members, Shazia Ilmi on Saturday quit the party, citing differences with party leadership and slammed Arvind Kejriwal's "jail politics".

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Ilmi, who lost from the Ghaziabad Lok Sabha seat, said, "After much thought and deliberation I have decided to give up my membership of AAP and resign from all positions within the party." Ilmi, however, clarified that she is not joining any other party.

Her resignation comes at a time when the party leader, Arvind Kejriwal, has been remanded to Tihar Jail till June 6 by a court in a defamation case filed by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari. The following are five key reasons which she said forced her to resign from the party.

1) Inner-party democracy: "My decision to leave the party is triggered by the lack of inner-party democracy, especially, from a party that constantly talks of 'swaraj' (self-rule)," she said. Attacking some AAP leaders who are considered close to Kejriwal, she said, "We fight against cronyism but we have a crony clique which runs the party and takes impulsive decisions which we learn about later. I find it amazing that we cannot follow the principles of swaraj within our own party."

She also said that she found it amazing that even Arvind Kejriwal couldn't follow the principles of "swaraj" within the party. "When a brilliant person like Arvind who espoused the concept of swaraj of collective making is unable to follow it personally within the party," she added.

2) Jail politics: Shazia had a piece of advice for her party to change tack of doing agitational politics — Arvind Kejriwal's "jail politics". "Fasts and demonstrations were helpful earlier on but now they are not, people don't like it," she said. Shazia said that Arvind Kejriwal should pay his bail bond and spend time with the party's workers and candidates.

3) AAP has become directionless: Miffed by the constant flip-flops of the party in terms of making the govt in Delhi, especially, after the Lok Sabha poll debacle, Shazia seemed to have lost confidence in the party leadership and felt the party was going directionless, "The party seems to be directionless. AAP needs to reinvent itself. We need to do more than just agitations and protests," Ilmi said.

4) Differences with party leadership: Party sources said Ilmi was unhappy with the party leadership on certain issues, including the choice of her Lok Sabha constituency Ghaziabad, from where she had unsuccessfully contested.

Ilmi, a journalist who has been with AAP since its inception, had conveyed to the party leadership her desire to contest from one of the seven seats in Delhi in the Lok Sabha elections. Ilmi, a popular minority face of the party, had also lost Delhi assembly elections from the R K Puram constituency.

5) Felt marginalized: Shazia Ilmi has been feeling marginalized in a party of which she was a founding member. "I raised questions on ticket distribution in the party (AAP) and the roles given to different leaders'', she said. Ilmi had conveyed her displeasure to the top brass, but her complaints were not addressed. ''Arvind has shot the messenger; I was consistently sidelined in the party. I still have the greatest of respect for Arvind and the numerous volunteers." Shazia said.

The voices of dissent are growing in the AAP after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, with even volunteers demanding resignation of the top brass. At a meeting on Friday, a group of volunteers displayed posters asking for resignation of some leaders. 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/5-reasons-Shazia-Ilmi-quit-AAP-the-party-she-co-founded/articleshow/35566310.cms