NEW DELHI: Atishi Marlena, a former spokesperson of AAP, is believed to be sympathetic to Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav. Days after she was removed from the party, she said in a letter to some senior party leaders that it was Prashant Bhushan who backed out even as the party leadership had arrived a near consensus following the much-talked about rift in the party.
Marlena who says will continue holding Bhushan and Yadav in highest regard, said Bhushan backed out at the last minute after his father Shanti Bhushan threatened to leave their family home if any resolution is passed.
She said, “AAP leader Sanjay Singh had been trying to arrive at a consensus: …..unknown to the public and our volunteers, Sanjay Singh made a remarkable effort, leaving no stone unturned for everyone to come to an agreement… by the 26th (March), Sanjay bhai had succeeded in bringing a consensus that promised a collective apology from the leadership of the party, time-bound institutional changes under Prithvi’s leadership and six new, neutral and credible members in the national executive.”
“When I found out the final reason for the refusal of this agreement, I was appalled… The same Prashant Bhushan who can take on the strongest forces in this country did not agree to something in the larger interests of the party because his father said ‘no’, because Shanti Bhushan ji said he would leave the family home.”
“…when Sanjay Bhai’s consensus building broke down because of Prashant ji’s actions, all of you repeatedly said in public that talks broke down on a matter of principle, that the other side was not serious about the negotiations. So when you presented a one-sided picture in the public domain and did not share this truth, people were misled to believe that the party was not ready to work on any of these issues. This is just wrong.”
Clearing the air, Marlena states that people such as herself, who had remained neutral through the dispute, had been looked upon with suspicion from both camps. While stating that she would continue holding Yadav and Bhushan “in the highest regard,” she says they had vastly divergent paths, and hoped they would not come to a point of confrontation again in the future.
