AAP’s Intolerance Singes Its MLA Alka Lamba

Political parties always claim to be different. But internal and external politics forces them to behave like any other party hungry for power. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power riding on the slogans of transparency along with a promise of providing a different government. But its actions after coming to power have belied the ideas with which the AAP started off its journey.

The latest episode is that of Alka Lamba’s sacking from the post of spokesperson. Alka Lamba, who is an AAP MLA, has been removed from the post of party spokesperson because she chose to speak truth. It seems Lamba did not toe the party line on the issue of Transport Minister Gopal Rai. AAP would like the pubic to believe that Gopal Rai resigned on his own. But Lamba let the cat out.

Contrary to the party line, as per this Indian Express report she informed reporters that the transport minister had been “relieved” of the portfolio to make way for an impartial probe into the Premium Bus Service scheme. She made the comments outside the Anti-Corruption Branch’s (ACB’s) office. Rai had been summoned to the agency, regarding the probe.

Though the AAP government has maintained that Rai was stepping down due to ‘health reasons’, Lamba stated that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had asked Rai to step down, to ensure a fair probe into the alleged scam.

He has retained other portfolios and was relieved only of the charge of the transport department. This is interesting because Rai’s portfolio has gone to Satyendra Jain, who already looks after five portfolios.

The AAP defended the decision, claiming the transport department had a heavier workload and the minister required at least three months to recuperate from his surgery. Rai recently underwent surgery to remove a bullet lodged in his neck over two decades back.

In its short history of existence, the party has shown that it is short on tolerance and comes down on the party cadre heavily. The case of expulsion of AAP’s co-founders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav is one major episode connected with such intolerance.