83. AAP s Bhagwant Mann Strikes Jarring Note in Leaked Audio Clip

10 Developments

Cheat Sheet | Edited by Deepshikha Ghosh | Updated: September 07, 2015

CHANDIGARH:  In a telephone call that has been leaked, Aam Aadmi Party leader Bhagwant Singh Mann has been heard criticizing his leadership and taking credit for the victory of party candidates in Punjab in last year's national election.

Here are 10 developments in the story:

1.    "I beat the BJP and Akali Dal because of my celebrity status," a voice purported to be that of Mr Mann, a popular singer and film personality in Punjab.

2.    He is also heard saying: "Everyone is plotting against us. There is a personality fight in Punjab. I have 20 years' experience and it is because of me that our party people are winning."

3.    Mr Mann, the AAP MP from Sangrur, was said to be in conversation with fellow lawmaker, Dharamvir Gandhi, who was suspended recently for his dissidence.

4.    Mr Mann was apparently criticizing the leadership for imposing its decisions on the Punjab AAP unit and appointing office bearers without consulting elected members from the state.

5.    Dharamvir Gandhi had reportedly confirmed the conversation but AAP has dismissed it as a fake sting.

6.    "Such edited audio and video clips are nothing new. People not interested in all this," said AAP leader Sanjay Singh.

7.    Sources say the conversation took place in February this year, just after AAP's record-breaking victory in the Delhi assembly election. Mr Mann's supporters have called the audio clip a conspiracy to malign him.

8.    AAP's internal trouble has been simmering since July in Punjab, the only state where the party won seats in the national polls. The rift peaked months after AAP had an acrimonious parting with founder members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav.

9.    Sources say AAP's Punjab leaders resent that the leadership in Delhi is taking all the decisions on campaign strategy for assembly elections to be held in the state in 2017.

10.Dharamvir Gandhi, along with Sadhu Singh and Harinder Singh Khalsa, have been vocal about what he calls high-handedness of the central leadership.

 Story First Published:September 07, 2015 15:16 IST