While Arvind Kejriwal is blaming EVMs for massive defeat in Goa and in Punjab elections, other people are blaming Kejriwal himself for pushing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to such state. One such person is Mayank Gandhi, who now believes that the quest for alternative politics through AAP is over.
Mayank Gandhi first came into contact with the current AAP leadership when he became part of the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement spearheaded by Anna Hazare. He later joined the newly formed Aam Aadmi party and became its national executive member and leader of the party’s Maharashtra state unit.
However, his association with the party was cut short after the AAP’s central leadership disbanded its Maharashtra unit, which reportedly had failed to act against Gandhi who had openly fallen out with Kejriwal over his decision to expel Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav.
Recently after the defeat of the party in Goa and Punjab, Mayank Gandhi wrote an open letter addressed to the volunteers about how AAP had betrayed all the principles it once stood for and how sad he was when he sees it all:
Hv quit politics, but feeling emotional today.After reading,u may call me names but plz think deep about your lifehttps://t.co/kAxzzxPREz
— Mayank Gandhi (@mayankgandhi04) March 14, 2017
The letter written on his personal blog, with a tinge of disappointment, announced that the quest for alternate politics was over. He asked the volunteers to rather go back to whatever they were doing in their personal lives, than continuing to dream about some change through AAP.
In the letter Mr. Gandhi talked about how the once high support for the party in the streets of Delhi has now turned into complete anger. He also talked about the hype the party creates on Social Media, and cautioned that the party’s performance in upcoming Gujarat assembly elections too might go the Goa way, where the party lost security deposits in 39 out of 40 seats.
According to the former AAP leader, the only chance the party has to stay relevant is by governing Delhi properly and not by making tall claims about their governance based on improving some schools and setting up some Mohalla clinics. However, he said that the party was reduced to making Arvind Kejriwal the Prime Minister.
The letter claims that AAP, which was formed on anti-corruption plank, has now become almost as corrupt as other parties. Mr. Gandhi claimed that most of the Delhi MLAs had become equally, if not more, corrupt than the MLAs of the previous government.
Apart from corruption, the letter also highlights how AAP has become like any other party doing caste and communal politics. The letter makes explosive claims like seats being sold in Punjab, cash being taken in large amount, donation list being removed, no income-expenditure data being given for the last 3 years – all of which hint at how the party has lost its moral high ground and was neck deep into corruption.
Mayank Gandhi also talked about his personal sacrifice of quitting his high paying job to join the movement and how he felt betrayed by what the party had become. He felt especially sorry about all the idealists and patriots who were or are associated with the party and with a heavy heart spoke about how they all have been taken for a ride.
Even on Twitter, though he isn’t associated with AAP, he personally apologized to actor Ranvir Shorey who was attacked by the party supporters for asking tough questions against the party.
He used to sit on floor during Aap mtgs. Ranvir, on behalf of my ex- colleagues, I apologise. They are young and misguided. Forgive them. https://t.co/z7VdORvoNA
— Mayank Gandhi (@mayankgandhi04) March 15, 2017
Though after quitting politics Mayank Gandhi hasn’t been sitting idle. As mentioned in the letter, he has been carrying out social initiatives like adopting 15 villages in the drought prone Parli tehsil in Marathwada for a 360 degree development of the villages to spur in the rural rejuvenation of the area. To further the initiative he has formed the Global Parli organisation.
