Yadav, Bhushan expelled from AAP: As it happened

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) National Council on Saturday removed senior leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the National Executive. Here are the live updates:

• AAP national council meeting has ended. AAP leader Sanjay Singh, in a press conference, said Medha Patkar's resignation letter has not been received by the party.
• AAP leader and activist Medha Patkar has resigned from primary membership of Aam Aadmi Party. "Condemn what happened to Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan. They were treated unfairly," she said.
• Arvind Kejriwal has, meanwhile, returned to the National Council meeting venue in Kapashera, say reports. 
• Arvind and his gang are a bunch of uncouth goons - Shazia Ilmi
• They (Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan) have been thrown out unceremoniously, it’s disgusting. This is political 'goondaism' at its worst - Shazia Ilmi
• Arvind will leave no stone unturned to show the way out to people who raise voice of dissent. He wants power by hook or crook, and he can do anything to get there - Shazia Ilmi
• This has not come as a shock to me. I know exactly what kind of political ‘goondaism’ they can resort to – BJP's Shazia Ilmi
• This is AAP's internal matter, why would I get into it? It's beyond my understanding - Anna Hazare

• This is nothing new. Anyone who raises voice against the supremo of AAP, they are shown the way out - Satish Upadhyay (BJP)
• I was also inside (the venue of the meeting), nothing of that sort (violence) happened - Satyendra Jain
• There were allegations against us that we were planning to float a separate party. If someone else talks about forming a new party, then it's a crime, but if Arvind bhai talks about the same then it is not - Yadav
• I got to know last night that Kejriwal himself if plenning to float a new party - Yadav
• It is true that the meeting was unconstitutional and unlawful. Now, what we will do to challenge it is yet to be decided - Bhushan
• Volunteers have sacrificed a lot for this party - Yadav
• I repeat, please don't judge AAP by what happened at National Council - Yadav
• National Council has 400 members, but they could manage signatures of only 167 members on the resolution. This hints at something - Yadav
• We didn't have any script, they had prepared a script. We are shocked, please give us some time – Yadav on forming a new party
• These tendencies have now taken an ugly turn - Bhushan
• I have been telling Arvind Kejriwal he has dictatorial tendencies and he needs to curb those - Bhushan
• I have 40 years of experience behind me. I know what democracy is, I know the values - Dharamvir Gandhi  
• Volunteers have to think is it the party, the movement they had worked for - Bhushan
• Admiral Ramdas sent a text back saying he was surprised to know that he could cause confrontation - Bhushan
• Lokpal Admiral Ramdas was told, 'Your term has expired' - Bhushan

• We had told them it must be ensured that the meeting be video-graphed, and voting to take place through a secret ballot - Bhushan
• Each MLA was asked to bring along some 50 MLAs with them for today's meet - Bhushan
• Through this entire rift, Dr Dharamvir Gandhi did not side with anyone, but what happened today wasn't acceptable to him as well - Yadav
• I request people not to judge us, our party by what happened today - Yadav
• Arvind bhai ended his speech in a dramatic matter and left by saying he had to attend an important meeting - Yadav
• I went to Arvind ji and Manish ji and said look NC members are being beaten up; Arvind ji just stood there - Yadav
• Ramzan Chaudhry had only said “please listen to the duo as well” and he was then beaten up and dragged by two bouncers - Yadav
• Arvind said in his speech, “I can't work with these people, you decide who you want to work with” - Yadav
• It was an orchestrated performance at the NC meet - Yadav
• MLAs were shouting “gaddaron ko nikalo” and Arvind ji watched silently - Yadav
• The entire discussion at the NC meeting focussed only on two people, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan - Yadav
• Several NC members were not allowed inside the meeting venue - Yadav
• Slogan shouting against me took place at the meet - Yadav
• We were disturbed since last evening wondering why was Admiral Ramdas (party's Lokpal) was not invited for the NC meeting - Yadav
• All limits were crossed at today's meet - Yadav
• What happened today was worse than what we have been accusing other parties of - Yadav
• But today, what happened at the AAP National Council meet is shameful - Yadav
• We had promised the nation a new type of politics - Yadav
• It is with sadness and shame that we are sitting before you - Yadav
• The dissident group of AAP, including Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, is now addressing a press conference.
• I just said that views of both sides be heard, but Arvind made me sit and did not listen - Ramzan Chaudhry
• Nobody can be allowed to force their own decision on decisions taken by the National Council unanimously - Singh
• They were not ready to listen to the resolution moved by majority. They left the meeting without taking part in the discussion - Singh
• Ramzan Chaudhry had started shouting when Arvind was speaking. He did not stop even when being asked to - Singh
• It is a lie that people were beaten up during the NC meeting – Sanjay Singh
• National Council has taken an unanimous decision to remove Yadav and Bhushan, 247 people have signed that resolution: Sanjay Singh
• A total of 247 National Council members voted in favour of the resolution to remove Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan by raising hand; 8 opposed by raising hands; 2 opposed in writing while 54 abstained - Pankaj Gupta
• Proposal was introduced during National Council meet that Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha be removed from the National Executive for anti-party activities - Pankaj Gupta
• AAP is holding a press conference now.
• AAP leader Ashutosh has meanwhile tweeted that Yogendra Yadav is spreading lies that National Council members were beaten up during the meeting. “There was no scuffle or manhandling. It's a cooked up story to gain sympathy,” he alleged.​
• AAP sources are now saying that 167 NC members had moved the resolution to remove Bhushan and Yadav from the National Executive. 298 was total attendance; 280 voted in support of the resolution, 10 opposed it and 8 abstained.
• Sources say AAP will lodge a complaint with the party's disciplinary committee against Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav for anti-party activities. If found guilty they will be expelled from AAP, added sources.
• Arvind Kejriwal has meanwhile arrived at his residence.
• We will not say anything, says Shanti Bhushan when asked about scuffle during AAP National Council meeting.
• AAP National Council is expected to brief media shortly.
• We will neither split AAP, not leave it. We will improve self also and others as well - Anand Kumar
• This was gunda-giri. This is death of democracy, it's not the party that we worked in. There was no voting - Dharamvir Gandhi
• There were some video cameras, I hope they recorded it - Yadav  
• Some of us were even prevented from coming out, this is what is happening here. I am ashamed, I apologize to all volunteers and supporters - Yadav
• As per details available, Gopal Rai chaired AAP National Council meet. 23 votes were in favour of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, over 200 voted against during the voting on resolution.
• All I said was that everybody should be heard, bouncers dragged me out, beat me up, and kicked me - Ramzan Chaudhry
• There was no neutral factor, Lokpal was absent, our voices were suppressed, we didn't get a chance to answer - Bhushan
• Only shouting took place, scuffle took place, bogus voting happened, and nothing else happened. It is a mockery of everything - Yadav
• What Arvind had said in the sting that we should be kicked out, today we have literally been kicked out - Bhushan
• Goons had been called at the meeting, they were beating up our supporters - Bhushan
• Arvind announced Gopal Rai would be president, we opposed saying there should be a discussion but the same wasn't admitted -Yadav
• People were raising slogans against me and Prashant during Arvind's speech at NC meeting - Yadav
• It was all pre-planned - Bhushan
• Everything happened as per pre-planned script, Gopal Rai has been made president without voting - Yadav
• Violence took place at the meet. One of our colleagues, Ramzan Chaudhry, was kicked and dragged out of the meet by bouncers - Yadav
• I say it with sadness that democracy has been murdered at the AAP National Council meet today - Yadav
• Yadav and Bhushan are speaking to reporters now.

• Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, Ajith Jha and Professor Anand Kumar have been removed from the AAP National Executive.
• It now appears a matter of time before an official announcement is made on Yadav and Bhushan's removal from AAP National Executive.
• Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan have also come out of the National Council meet venue.  
• Arvind Kejriwal has, meanwhile, left the venue after delivering his inaugural address.
• Reports say out of the 300 present National Council members (total 350), 200 have moved a resolution at the meeting seeking removal of Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the National Executive.
• Arvind Kejriwal is reported to be making the inaugural address at the National Council meet.
• People voted for this government with high hopes. The opportunity should not be wasted due to lack of political experience - Jaitley  
• Did not expect this kind of politics, wherein politicians start taping conversations between each other. Lack of political experience should not stop them (AAP) from keeping the promises made to people of Delhi – Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
• Former Supreme Court judge Markanday Katju calls Kejriwal “a small man”. “If Kejriwal had any statesman like qualities, he should have addressed issues and corrected his weaknesses, particularly his desire to over centralise. But the way he has behaved recently shows he is a small man, and people should not expect anything from him except some stunts,” Katju wrote on Twitter.
• Kejriwal used to sing 'Insaan ka insaan se ho bhaichaara', now brotherhood within the party has been exposed - Sudhanshu Trivedi, BJP
• AAP is bound to split. They were trying to make people believe they are different, but people know they are not different, they are here just for power - PC Chacko of Congress​
• Yogendra Yadav ends his dharna, says: “Many of the members have been denied entry into the venue for AAP National Council meeting despite having all documents. Some have been allowed entry now. I am going inside and will try for others to be allowed or register my protest.”
• AAP's National Council meeting has started.
• Sources say Kumar Vishwas will chair today's National Council meet.
• Yogendra Yadav is sitting on dharna outside the National Council meeting venue after several NC members were denied entry into the meeting. Yadav has however not been denied entry. Prashant Bhushan is already inside the venue.
• AAP Lokpal Admiral L Ramdas has said that he has been asked not to attend today's National Council meet on the ground that his term has expired. However, Ramdas claimed, his term has been extended and that he is already looking into two cases.
• Arvind Kejriwal has arrived at the venue of AAP's National Council meeting.
• Anyone who is doing harm to the party, should be removed, says Bhagwant Mann
• Nobody has called us here, we have come here on our own for interest of party, says an Arvind Kejriwal supporter
• Never thought such a day would come when my own party workers will raise slogans against me - Yadav
• A social movement was started for this? Look at these posters, volunteers using words like 'gaddar, murdabad', it's unfortunate - Yadav
• Just received letter from Admiral L Ramdas informing me he has been asked to not attend today's meeting. He expressed his shock. I apologised to him on behalf of the party and also sought his permission to release the letter - Yogendra Yadav
• TV visuals show supporters of both the factions are raising slogans against each other outside the farmhouse in Kapashera where the National Council meeting is being held.
• Kumar Vishwas says the current scenario could have been avoided if the other side was willing for reconciliation.
• Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan will be attending today's crucial National Council meeting where they are likely to be sacked from the party.
• Everything will be accounted for, tough questions will be asked at today's met. Who were the people who conspired for the defeat of party? - Ashutosh
• Looking at the present scenario, we cannot rule out breaking up of AAP, says Sanjay Singh. “We made serious efforts to resolve issues, agreed to all of their terms,” he adds.
• Sources say AAP has asked party's Lokpal Admiral L Ramdas not to attend today’s National Council meeting.
• These people are Congress agents planted to malign image of AAP. I don't want any conspirators and agents in party, they must be removed - Naveen Jaihind
• What I told Arvind Kejriwal is truth; Yogendra Yadav, Anand Kumar and Prashant Bhushan never had the intention to replace him, says Umesh Singh with whom Kejriwal was in conversation in the sting that came to light yesterday. “There was no need of a sting. But the way the conversation started I felt like recording it so I can listen to it again,” says Singh.
• Yogendra Yadav today said that it's an important day as the fate of social movement out of which AAP was born, will be decided. “It's a day which will decide the future of one of the most extraordinary movements this country has witnessed,” Yadav said. “The idea of AAP is much bigger and sacred than organisational frame called 'AAP',” he added.
• Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, founder members of AAP, have demanded that today's National Council meeting be video-recorded and in case of voting, provision for secret ballot be made. They have also asked a neutral person to conduct the proceedings of the meeting.
• Reports meanwhile said that members of the National Council and other office-bearers of different wings of AAP Friday decided to move seven resolutions, most of them mirroring the demands made by dissident leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav. An informal meeting of AAP NC members held at YMCA was attended by almost 75 members and other office-bearers and came out with a 7-point "agenda" that would be put forward today when the National Council meets.

"First - AAP should be brought in the ambit of RTI voluntarily. Second - Current Lokpal of the party Admiral Ramdas should chair the meeting. Third - AAP should constitute a committee to work on the lines of Election Commission including the selection of candidates. Fourth - State-level decisions of the party should be left to state executive bodies. Fifth - Party should expand its wings in those state where election are going to be held in near future. Sixth - Voting right ought to be given to active volunteers also. Seventh - Amendments made in the constitution of the party on 2014 should be repealed," said an NC member urging not to mention his name.

• The party's National Council is meeting today at 10:00 am and is likely to decide on the continuance of Yadav and Bhushan besides taking up other issues. However, many party leaders feel that it will be difficult for Kejriwal supporters to remove them given the support enjoyed by Yadav and provisions in the party constitution.
• Also on Friday, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was again at the receiving end of a sting operation in which he is heard purportedly using expletives against Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan and even threatening to form a new party.

However, the Kejriwal camp hit back claiming that "private" conversations of leaders were being "recorded" for the past nine months to "blackmail" the leadership.

The conversation purportedly took place between Kejriwal and one Umesh Singh, a party worker, in which the AAP chief loses his cool and tells the worker to better go and work with Yadav and Bhushan.

"You don't know how they (Yadav and Bhushan) were working against the party's interests during the elections....I am not here to be part of any brawl. I am contemplating starting a new party...Will leave AAP with 66 MLAs. Best wishes to you to work with Yadav and Bhushan.”

• On Friday, a full-blown war erupted in AAP with Arvind Kejriwal camp and dissident leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav mounting a shrill attack against each other.

Bhushan and Yadav accused Kejriwal of stifling internal democracy just a day after reconciliation talks collapsed on Thursday.

The duo claimed that Kejriwal even threatened to float a new regional party with all its MLAs as he "cannot work with us".

The Kejriwal camp strongly rebutted the allegations by the dissident duo and accused the two founding members of working to ensure party's defeat in the Delhi polls, saying they had links with AAP's breakaway faction AVAM which had alleged that the the party got "shady" funds of Rs 2 crore last year.